


Simply Wicked (INCOMPLETE)

by Zhoris_Lishay



Series: The Simply Wicked Series [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Crossover, D E A T H ! !, F/M, Minho is Kira's brother, Minho x OC, Newt x OC - Freeform, PTSD, Slow Updates, Stiles Stilinski is Thomas (Maze Runner), TMRxTW, Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 30,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhoris_Lishay/pseuds/Zhoris_Lishay
Summary: "So you can keep, me.Inside the pocket, of your ripped, jeans.Holding me close, till our eyes, meet.You won't ever be alone.Wait for me to come home."She wakes with no name. Surrounded by boys trapped in an experiment disguised as a maze. Who is she? Why is she there? Who are the other girls with her? Sometimes questions are best left unanswered.
Series: The Simply Wicked Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859956
Kudos: 15





	1. Book Cover/Description

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Book Cover/Description

_**Simply Wicked** _

**_"So you can keep, me._**

**_Inside the pocket, of your ripped, jeans._ **

**_Holding me close, till our eyes, meet._ **

**_You won't ever be alone._ **

**_Wait for me to come home."_ **

**_She wakes with no name. Surrounded by boys trapped in an experiment disguised as a maze. Who is she? Why is she there? Who are the other girls with her? Sometimes questions are best left unanswered._ **


	2. Cast Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast Page

_**Cast Page** _

_**** _

_**Emily Rudd as Arden** _

**_[THE KIND SISTER]_ **

**_{"If you pull another bullshit stunt like that, I'm gonna skin you_ ** **alive** **_and feed you to the Grievers."}_ **

_**** _

**_Karen Gillan as Evelyn_ **

**_[THE FORGOTTEN WARRIOR]_ **

_**{"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we get out alive. I don't want anyone else to die here."}** _

_**** _

**_Cassie Dorillo as Paige_ **

**_[LOVED BY ALL]_ **

**_{*Random Baby Noises*}_ **

**_Ki-Hong Lee as Minho_ **

**_[SARCASTIC SHANK]_ **

**_{"You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck there ever was..."}_ **

**_Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt_ **

**_[SECOND-IN-COMMAND]_ **

**_{"What is it with you and Tommy? You seem awfully bloody close!"}_ **

**_Dylan O'Brien as Thomas_ **

_**[CURIOUS GREENIE]** _

_**{"You did something. Something they didn't like, something they didn't want to happen and they wanted to punish you."}** _

_**Will Poulter as Gally** _

**_[KEEPER OF THE BUILDERS]_ **

**_{"I don't care what Alby says, girlie. You're bad news and someday, real soon, these other guys will see that too._ ** _**"}** _

**_Kaya Scodelario as Teresa_ **

_**[THE LAST ONE EVER]** _

_**{"I honestly don't care anymore, I don't care that I don't remember, because as long as you're around, everything will be okay."}** _

**_Aml Ameen as Alby_ **

**_[LEADER OF THE GLADE]_ **

**_{"You look as tough as nails, Lady-Shank, don't let these slintheads convince you otherwise."}_ **

_**Blake Cooper as Chuck** _

_**[LIGHT OF THE GLADE]** _

_**{"I wonder if my parents think about me as much as I think about them... I hope they do..."}** _

_**Mena Massoud as Leo** _

_**[BEST FRIEND/BABYSITTER]** _

_**{"Frypan either made sandwiches or hamburgers today and I sure as hell hope it's the latter!"}** _

_**Dexter Darden as Frypan** _

_**[KEEPER OF THE COOKS]** _

_**{"Saw you take a rough tumble there today. Here, have some bacon, it'll fix you right up!"}** _

_**** _

_**** _

_**** _

_**** _

_**"When you see a woman crying, don't judge her. Give her a shoulder to cry on and comforting words.** _

_**You do not know what storms she has walked through or what burdens she carries. Make her smile and tell her that it's alright, she's okay and that she's loved.** _

_**Because in times like these, that's what women need to hear most."** _

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo and Paige.** _

**_Started: 5/15/18_ **   
**_Ended: ???_ **


	3. Prologue Part 1-Evelyn: Beginning Of The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn has had enough.
> 
> She can't stand watching her friends die.
> 
> So she's going to save them.
> 
> No matter the cost.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

"I need your help."

The girl with orange hair glanced at the camera in front of her. She glanced down at the computer screen as she memorized her own face. Every little freckle to the smallest scar on her bottom lip she got from a training accident.

After all, soon she would forget.

"I-we need help. I can't keep letting people die, it's my job to protect them." Her breathing was going fast, the words couldn't get out quick enough. "I don't know what's true anymore. W.I.C.K.E.D tells me the world is destroyed by solar flares, that the world is being torn apart by cranks, but-" her eyes were wide in confusion, "-but I remember things. I remember playing in the street, I remember being close to my family and-"

There was a loud boom in the hall that pulled her attention away from the camera. She quickly looked back, her volume dropping drastically. "Something needs to change. Kids can't keep dying, no matter what the cause is." She took a deep breath and pressed her hands against the table to stop the shaking, "Along with this video, there will be dates and coordinates unless W.I.C.K.E.D. changes their plans, it should be the dates when we arrive at each different Phase, the next trials." She breathed deeply again and glanced at the address.

_**Lydia Martin. Beacon Hills, California.** _

She never could explain it, but that name was _important_ to her, just as important as her friends' names. She looked back at the camera again, "I don't know if we'll ever get to see each other. W.I.C.K.E.D. might just kill me for this betrayal."

She could hear them now, the guard stomping through the hallways, rushing to find her.

"I don't have much time, but there should be a list of the subjects attached to this video, along with a list of W.I.C.K.E.D. employees and their backgrounds."

She could hear the voices of the guards, getting louder still.

_What have you done?_

She ignored his question and continued talking, "I know this doesn't make much sense and you could probably just ignore this email and be on your merry way." She smiled faintly, as if recalling happier times, "But I have a feeling that you and your friends aren't like that."

The guards were getting closer now, only a few corridors away from her. She had to be quick.

Panic hit her hard and for the first time since she became a guard, she felt desperate. "Please, you have to hurry, there's too much at stake-" her mind went to where the two most precious things to her were hidden away, ready for when her punishment came. She was sure she knew what it was. In fact, she was counting on it.

"Too many lives have already been lost-"

_Blood splattered all over her hands..._

"Too many lives are at stake-"

_Corpses littering the ground..._

"Too many close calls regarding the people we love-"

_The gun resting comfortably in her hand..._

"So many people hurt and forgotten-"

_A blond boy tangled in ivy, his leg snapped in three different places..._

"I can't fight this on my own, I need help."

They were at her door, trying to break it down.

She smiled sadly at the camera, certain that this would be the last time anyone saw her alive. You have to hurry, the trials will be over soon and they will move us. You must be quick and be strong-"

The door was starting to cave...

"And remember-"

There were more shouts on the other side...

"Never trust W.I.C.K.E.D."

She ended the video and clicked send, suddenly feeling a thousand times lighter when it finally sent. She sighed in contentment before clicking the keyboard.

_**Ctrl+Alt+S+D+T** _

_"Self-Destruct Protocol Initiated."_

She tossed the computer to the other side of the room. It fell to the floor with a clack. A few seconds later, the computer exploded.

The door finally gave away.


	4. Prologue Part 2-Scott: Beacon Of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott is in mourning.
> 
> Three members of his pack missing, his betas missing their own siblings.
> 
> Things aren't looking good.
> 
> Until Lydia gets an email with a video.
> 
> And it will change everything.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

_Scott, get over here now. It's about Hazel."_

That was all Scott needed to hear to run out of his house at two in the morning.

He was half shifted as he ran down the road to Lydia's house. His heart was pounding in his ears and his chest was swelling with hope. He knew he was taking a big risk, running down the road where someone could see him, but he didn't care. All his mind could focus on was the fact that Hazel could be alive. And if she was alive, then maybe Amanda, Alaska, and Stiles were too.

And, after two years, she was _still_ alive.

_Well, two years, nine months, and seventeen days..._

_But who was counting?_

_Definitely_ not Scott.

He remembered the day when Sheriff Stilinski told Hazel that Amanda was missing. As soon as the words left his mouth, Hazel went on full panic mode. She always made sure she knew where everyone was going, when they'd be back, and who'd they be with.

There was _no way in hell_ she was going to lose them.

_"My big sister was just kidnapped and if you think for a goddamn moment that I'm going to risk losing you guys too? Then you're very stupid, Scott McCall. And the only reason I'm not insulting you further is because you're way too nice for me to do that with a good conscience."_

Yup, that was Hazel for ya'.

Scott felt a pang in his heart as he recalled the day he told her to take a walk, to get some fresh air and come back with a clear head to help in the search. She took his advice and left, looking a little more hopeful than she had in a while.

Four hours later, the Sheriff's department had to send out an APB for Hazel.

Lydia and her mother had cried for days and each day they grew less hopeful that they would ever see Hazel or Amanda again. Until one day, _(two years, two months and four days later)_ they opened the door to find a woman from CPS, the same woman who first brought them Hazel and Amanda, holding a baby in her arms.

She explained that Hazel and Amanda's biological parents had just died and since this was the last known address of the two girls, that maybe they would be willing to take her in. They both agreed immediately and named her Alaska Treaty, in remembrance of the book that the older sisters had loved so much, _Looking For Alaska._

However, the joy did not last.

A few weeks after adopting Alaska, someone broke into their house. Although it was completely trashed, there were no signs of theft.

There was also no sign of Alaska.

They searched for two months before they gave up and the Martins were left alone to grieve.

At the mere thought of the three sisters, guilt began to eat away at his bones and those cursed thoughts he had tried to push away broke through.

_What if I went with her?_

_What if, by sending her out, I signed their death warrants?_

_What if I killed them?_

He could easily counter the last thought, _Lydia said that she was alive. If she's alive, we can save her._ Hope bloomed in his chest again _and-_

_If there is anything left of her to save..._

Lydia's house stood before him. He shifted back to his human form and didn't even get a chance to knock when the door was thrown open and Lydia dragged him in. "Before you ask, I had a feeling tonight-" Scott's chest tightened "-that was kinda like a banshee feeling, but more like something was going to happen."

Scott let out a sigh of relief.

"And before I knew it, there was an email on my computer. There wasn't an email address from the sender, so I was going to click out of it when the video loaded and...look-" She pushed the computer in her room towards him and staring back at him was Hazel Treaty. Scott felt like an invisible weight had lifted off his shoulders at the sight of her, but it was soon replaced with sadness at what he saw.

Hazel's hair was the same length she had always liked it, right in the middle of her shoulder blades. Her hair was still a ginger color, her eyes were still cognac-brown, and her face was still void of make-up.

Even after two years _(nine months, and_ eighteen _days now)_ she was still Hazel.

But somethings were different too.

Her cheeks weren't as full as they use to be, almost like she wasn't eating enough, on her collar bone, Scott could see the beginning of a scar while the rest was covered by her shirt. Her eyes, which use to either be full of concern, rage, or joy, were holding a haunted look, like a soldier who had come back from war.

Scott's eyes burned red as he took it all in.

Lydia pressed play.

_**"I need your help."** _

Scott already hated this video.

Hazel was the most stubborn person he knew, she wouldn't ask for help if she was bleeding out from a gunshot wound _(he knows because that has happened before)_ and if she was asking for help _now_ , Scott knew they were in some deep shit.

Her eyes skimmed down towards the computer screen before looking back at the camera with a bittersweet smile.

Scott didn't like it _at all_.

Her smile fell quickly and she began talking again, **_"I-we need help. I can't keep letting people die, it's my job to protect them."_ **Her breathing was going fast, the words couldn't get out quick enough and Scott's chest clenched at the thought of a pack member being in this state of distress and not being able to help them.

 ** _"I don't know what's true anymore. W.I.C.K.E.D tells me the world is destroyed by solar flares, that the world is being torn apart by cranks, but-"_ **her eyes were wide in confusion and they held a faraway look, _ **"-but I remember things. I remember playing in the street, I remember being close to my family and-"**_

Scott's mind was racing. _W.I.C.K.E.D.? Solar Flares? Cranks? What has Hazel gotten herself into?_

Scott wasn't aware he had pierced his skin with his claws.

There was a loud boom in the hall that pulled her attention away from the camera. Scott's stomach dropped to his feet as he watched the video.

He _really_ hoped he wasn't going to watch Lydia's adopted sister get killed in this video...

She quickly looked back, her volume dropping drastically and Scott's eyes filled with tears as he watched. ** _"Something needs to change. Kids can't keep dying, no matter what the cause is."_ **She took a deep breath and pressed her hands against the table to stop the shaking. Scott recognized the tactic Stiles had used to ward off anxiety attacks.

The thought of his missing best friend _-his missing_ brother _-_ made his heart hurt.

 _ **"Along with this video, there will be dates and coordinates, unless W.I.C.K.E.D. changes their plans, it should be the dates when we arrive at each different Phase, the next trials."**_ She breathed deeply and glanced at the screen again.

Lydia placed a hand over her mouth to hold in a sob.

She looked back at the camera again, _ **"I don't know if we'll ever get to see each other. W.I.C.K.E.D. might just kill me for this betrayal."**_

The hope that had filled Scott's chest earlier was long gone, replaced by the horror of the statement and anger at who dared to hurt his pack. The thought of Hazel _(and Amanda and Alaska and **Stiles** )_being dead the first time around had hurt, he still hasn't recovered from it. But Hazel _(and possibly Amanda and Alaska and Stiles)_ being dead for good this time.

Scott wouldn't make it.

The _Pack_ wouldn't make it.

Scott could faintly hear people moving in the background, stomping through the building as if looking for someone.

_Probably her._

He shied away from the thought.

_**"I don't have much time, but there should be a list of the subjects attached to this video, along with a list of W.I.C.K.E.D. employees and their backgrounds."** _

The people in the background were getting louder. Closer to finding her. Scott and Lydia knew it and he could bet that Hazel knew it too.

 _ **"I know this doesn't make much sense and you could probably just ignore this email and be on your merry way."** _She smiled faintly, as if recalling happier times, _**"But I have a feeling that you and your friends aren't like that."**_

 _You're right, Hazel,_ he thought proudly, _you're so_ damn _right._

The people were even louder now, most likely a few rooms away from how they sounded.

Scott could practically smell her panic and desperation through the screen. _**"Please, you have to hurry, there's too much at stake-"** _Her eyes held a faraway look as she stared at the camera, but they held a slight knowing look like she had something planned.

_Her and Stiles wore that look a lot._

Another pang hit his chest.

_**"Too many lives have already been lost, too many lives are at stake, too many close calls regarding the people we love, So many people hurt and forgotten."** _

Her eyes held tears for a moment before they vanished leaving a cold and murderous look that sent shivers down Scott's spine. It was there for a moment before it vanished, replaced by determination and exhaustion, ** _"I can't fight this on my own, I need help."_**

There was the sound of a nob turning in the video and Scott could just barely hear the conversation on the other side.

_**"Miss Paige, she's in here."** _

_**"Get the** _ **damn** _**door open** _ **now** _**before she** _ **ruins** _**the experiment!** _

_**"Yes, ma'am."** _

_**"Lyn, stop!"** _

_**"Evelyn! Don't do this! We're family! We're trying to find a cure!"** _

_**"If you do this, Newt could die! We won't be able to save him!"** _

If Hazel heard them _(which she probably didn't because she isn't, you know, a **werewolf** )_ she didn't acknowledge them. She just smiled sadly at the camera, like she knew she was about to die, but she was okay with it.

Like it had been her plan all along.

 _ **"You have to hurry, the trials will be over soon and they will move us. You must be quick and be strong and remember-"** _She closed her eyes and breathed out deeply before opening them again. They held such a serious and solemn expression that even if Scott didn't know her, he would have been listening with rapid attention, wanting to know what she was going to say next.

_**"Never Trust Wicked."** _

He never forgot her words.

And, after smiling sadly one last time, the video ended.

That's it.

_That's it._

That's all they had of Hazel, an old video, and didn't even tell them if she was alive or not.

A mess.

This whole thing was a mess.

"Scott," Lydia asked hesitantly, placing a hand on his arm, "What do you want to do?" He unclenched his fists and letting out a deep breath. Blood had dried on his palms and his claws retracted into his nails. He started at the computer, Hazel's face staring back at him as if silently asking him what he was going to do. He could imagine what she would say...

_"Look, wolfie. I love the idea of being a lazy, couch-potato and complain about my problems but that doesn't make them go away. We have shit to get done, so get off your lazy wolf-ass and figure out what you're going to do next."_

Hearing those words (and imagining they came from Hazel) he knew exactly what to do.

"Call a Pack meeting," he said finally looking at her for the first time that night. Her eyes were bloodshot and he could smell the salt from her old tears on her cheek. But she stared at him with determination that reminded him so much of Hazel, it made his heart hurt.

"What do I tell them?"

"Call and Pack meeting...and tell them Hazel's alive..."


	5. Chapter 1 - Evelyn: The Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She doesn't know where she is.
> 
> All she knows is that it's dark and she needs to protect the others that are with her.
> 
> But she also knows is that she needs to get out.
> 
> Now.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

**Warning: some cursing on the following chapter.**

She began her new life in the dark. The sound of grinding gears made her already throbbing head ache. The pulsing beneath her temples was terrible and she could barely manage to get the words out, much less understand them.

"Three. Three. There's three of us. There's three of us. There's me and th-theres-umm."

_What was I talking about again?_

The platform she was sitting on suddenly came to a stop and she yelped. The platform was swinging slightly and she scrambled to find something steady to hold onto. She glanced around in the darkness and confusion filled her like water filling a glass. _Where was she?_ Suddenly, a more important question hit her.

_**Who** was she?_

Her mind frantically went over names, trying to find one that seemed familiar in any way. _Abigail? Piper? Dakota? Riley? Rachel? Melody? No, those can't be right, but then what is it?!_

"Why can't I remember my name," she mumbled aloud. She was a little uneasy at how well she was handling it. She felt like she should be screaming and crying, begging or demanding someone to get her out and to get her answers.

 _Where ever here was,_ she thought bitterly.

She glanced around again and she realized how terrible the situation was. There was no light wherever she was, darkness covering everything and anything. She couldn't find an exit and with no food or water to survive, that meant that-she was going to-

 _"Fuck!"_ Her hand curled into a fist and she punched the wall. She blinked in surprise and traced her fingers over the surface. The wall wasn't smooth like most walls were, there were holes in it lots of them. It was almost like a form of- 

"Mesh Wire," she pulled her hand back and glanced around the room again. Which, apparently, wasn't a room at _all_ , it was like someone had put her in a cage. "Huh," she grumbled before throwing her hands up, "Great! Apparently I'm an Amnesiac who's trapped in a giant cage. Fan- _fucking-_ tastic."

"Do you always cuss when you're mad?"

She jumped at the new voice. The voice was feminine and slightly thick from sleep. "Um," she answered awkwardly, " I don't really know. I mean, I might have, but I just don't remember." The other girl hummed, "Well, that's nice-"

She suddenly went silent and the first girl shifted her weight uncomfortably, "Uhh, you alri-"

_"Why do I have a baby in my arm?!"_

The first girl jumped at the change in volume but wordlessly scrambled towards the other woman. It took a few moments to find her and by the time, the baby had woken up and was crying slightly. "Shh shh shh, it's okay. Please don't cry," the first girl said as she reached out and gently stroked the baby's head.

The baby's crying settled down to soft whimpers and she felt the baby wrap its hand around her finger. She smiled faintly and looked in the general direction of the other girl, "What's your-"

Light suddenly burst into the box and the first grabbed the other two, pressing them against her to shield them from the light. Her eyes hurt and her ears were ringing slightly. But she will never forget what happened next.

"Bloody hell...it's a bunch of girls!"


	6. Chapter 2 - Evelyn: The Boy Called Newt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She doesn't know where she is or who she is.
> 
> The other girl doesn't know either.
> 
> But the boy looks oddly familiar.
> 
> And she can't help but trust him.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

**Warning: Cussing, small amount of violence, and Gally being a creep.**

She immediately turned to the new threat, swinging blindly and inwardly cheered as she felt her fist meet flesh. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light and her heart stopped at the sight in front of her. A boy stood before her, his right arm raised to block her fist and his left held out in front of him, like he was trying to calm a wild animal. His blond hair looked golden in the sun and his chocolate-brown eyes were shining with empathy and comfort.

He also looked about as confused as she felt.

"Hey, love, it's alright. It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you."

There was something soothing and familiar about his voice that quickly put her at ease. She slipped out of her fighting stance _(how did she know what a fighting stance was?)_ and took a few steps back, still standing in front of the girls.

 _Strangers_ , she thought to herself, _why am I defending strangers?_

She didn't have time to question it, because, up above, other people, other boys, began to speak.

"What the shuck?"

"Why are they here?"

"Three greenies?"

"We've never had a girl before."

"Hope you've enjoyed the one-way trip girlie!"

"Maybe they were sent for 'mating purposes'." Boys snicker at that last one.

The boy in the box scowled, "Shut up, David!"

He wasn't the only one who hated that comment.

The girl with orange hair, which looked like an open flame, scowled at the boy. "Just who the _hell_ do you think you are?!" Most boys looked at her surprised, before letting out booming laughs. "Oooo, little redhead got a mouth on her!" David mocked, "Why don't you come up here and show us what else it can do?" More laughs ensue from the gaggle of boys.

The girl began to shake with rage."Why don't you come down here so I can rip your balls off and shove them down your throat?!" The crowd responds with an, _"OooooOOOoOo,"_ and David flushed with embarrassment and rage.

"Shut the bloody hell up, you lot!" The blond boy shouted at the others.

They all fell silent and she felt a new-found respect for the boy.

One boy in the crowd stood out to her. He stares back for a moment before running his eyes up and down her body, clearly checking her out. She snarled in disgust at the boy. He stares back with blue eyes, partly hidden by brows that make him look like you just said the most absurd thing in the world. He narrowed his eyes, walking into the crowd before she could call him out on his bullshit.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and she jumped, ready to fight whoever touched her. "Whoa, relax. I'm not going to hurt you, love." The blond boy with the cute accent smiled reassuringly and she couldn't help but relax a little at his words.

But that didn't stop her questions.

"Where are we? Who are you? And... why can't I remember anything?" Despite her best efforts, anxiety crept into her voice and her hands began to shake. She needed answers. She needed to know what had happened to her.

The blond boy placed his other hand on her shoulders and squeezed them, trying to ground her. "You're in Glade, love. My name's Newt and I'm the second in command here. It's normal for greenies not to remember anything from wherever the shuck they came from. I know you have more questions. Greenies always do. Chances are I can give you answers to most of them, but you have to let me get you out of the box, okay?"

As much as the cute boy ( _Newt_ , she mentally corrected herself) and his even cuter accent soothed her, it could not sway her distrust. "Why should I trust you?" She blew a strand of orange hair out of her face. She couldn't deny that there was something... _familiar_ and _safe_ about him, but she wasn't going to throw caution into the wind.

No matter how cute he was.

Newt stared at her for a moment, completely gobsmacked, before he realized she was talking to him. He shook his head then smiled sweetly, "I honestly don't know. I mean, you can stay down here but it gets bloody cold at night..."

She frowned before turning to look at the girl holding the infant. Wide silver-blue eyes look back at her from under a short bob of chocolate hair. She realized with a jolt that this is the first time she's seen her. _She looks very beautiful_ , she thought absentmindedly. The baby in her arms could have been a year old at most and it struck her as odd when she realized that the baby and the girl had the same colored hair. _That's stupid_ , she chastised herself, _having brown hair isn't uncommon. You're making a big deal out of nothing._

If only she knew how wrong she was.

The blue-eyed shrugged as if to say, _we don't really have a choice._ The first girl scowled, she hated not having choices. She glanced back at Newt, who was looking at her with hope and expectant eyes. She sighed in defeat, "Well, that's a good enough answer for me."

His face immediately brightened and he smiled at her, "Good that."

_Does he ever stop being cute?_

No. The answer is no.

He wordlessly cupped his hands together, ready to give the girls a boost out of there. She glanced up at the group of boys surrounding the exit, "What about them?" He glanced up, realizing the problem, "Hey shanks! Back up! Give the girls some room!"

The boys wordlessly backed up, but didn't leave.

She couldn't help but stare at him for a moment, the familiarity that she couldn't shake was starting to make her chest ache. _That face. There's something about that face._


	7. Chapter 3 - Evelyn: Welcome To Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one thing she's learned in her time there is that boys are horny bastards.
> 
> Especially the one with crazy eyebrows.
> 
> But she trusts the boy-Newt-for reasons she can't explain.
> 
> But there's no time for weakness here.
> 
> Because if you're weak, and you're a girl, then you will never be safe.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

**Warnings: Horny Boys, small little temper flare (don't hate on my baby), Gally still being a creep.**

True to his word, no one had tried to hurt her.

At least, not yet.

Some boy looked a little nervous around her, most likely scared she was going to rip their balls off. Other's looked at her in hunger, eyeing her body in greed and lust. She snarled at them, "If you look at me like that one more time, I'm going to make _your testicles_ and _your eyes_ switch places."

"Hey shanks! Back it up!"

The boys stepped back farther and Newt was suddenly next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If any of you bloody slinthead touch any one of these girls without their _explicit_ permission, I will have you thrown off the cliff so fast your head will spin. Am I clear?"

Every boy had a straight face when they nodded. The other girl stood beside her, the baby cradled in her arms. She subconsciously shifted in front of the girls and she frowned in confusion once she realized she did it.

 _Why am I protecting strangers,_ she wondered again, _I don't even know them._

A boy with dark skin and bulging muscles pushed his way through the crowd. His eyes held no compassion or sympathy, he only stared at them blankly. "Well, this is new," he mumbled, more towards himself than anything, before he stuck out his hand to shake, "Welcome to the Glade, greenies. I'm Alby, leader of this place."

She wordlessly placed her hand in his and shook it firmly. The other boys stared at her, looking slightly impressed. The girl next to her spoke up, "I would shake your hand, but...mine are, kinda, full..." Everyone else suddenly took notice of the baby in her arms.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then it was _chaos_.

_"A shucking baby!?"_

"Why the hell would they put a baby in here?!"

"They're sending up shucking _baby's_ now!?"

_"What the shuck is wrong with them?!"_

"I swear to god, once I get out of here, I'm gonna-"

"Enough!!" Newt shouted and the boys fell quiet, "It doesn't matter why they were sent here, we're going to treat them like every other greenie-" The boy with crazy eyebrows seemed to appear out of nowhere, "The thing is, Newt, they're _not_ like every other greenies that we've had. They're _girls_."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, _Mr. Eyebrows_ ," the ginger sassed, placing a hand on her hip while the other pushed the other girl behind her. A boy to her right, dressed in an apron and carrying kitchen knives, whistled, clearly impressed. Mr. Eyebrows glared at her before he turned to the other boys.

"Am I seriously the only one who wants to know why these girls are here." No one said anything and he continued his rant, "I mean, after two years, they send in a group of _girls_? And no one wanted to know _why they did?!_ " Alby stepped forward, holding a hand in the air as if to block the greenies from his words.

"Slim it, Gally," Alby snapped, "Anything you want to say, you can say it at the Gathering." Gally turned back to the ginger girl and it seemed only she could see the hidden lust in his eyes, "It would only make sense, that after all this time...that the Creators send a-"

"A what," the ginger snapped again, "A _girl_? To be your _sex toy_? Listen up, _bucko_ , 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. I have no idea why the _hell_ I'm here, I have no idea why I can't remember a _damn_ thing and I have no idea what the hell _half_ of your guys' word are or mean-" a few boys chuckled at that "-but I will _not_ be used as an object for sex, you hormonal perv. _Yeah_ , I saw you looking at my boobs when I was in the box-"

Gally flushed a deep red, from embarrassment or rage, she couldn't tell.

But she also didn't care.

"These Creators might have sent me up for that reason, but I still get a say in if I want that or not. And if you can't tell from the rage in my face or from this speech, I'll make it nice and simple for you: I am _not_ an object for you to use to fulfill your hormonal needs. Go jerk off somewhere else for all I care, but don't use me or Arden if you feel the need to shove your dick in something."

The boys grew quiet, some looking guilty and some looking like they wanted to go and shake her hand. The brown-haired girl _-Arden-_ spun the ginger around, her face pale and clammy. "Woah," the ginger held out a hand to steady her, "Ardy, you okay?"

 _"How did you know,"_ She breathed, _"How did you know my name?"_ The ginger stared at Arden before it finally hit her what had happened. The blood drained from her face and alarm bells went off in her head. She couldn't tear her gaze away from those silver-blue eyes. _How did I know that,_ she thought, _how did I_ knowthathowdidIknowthathowdidI-

The alarm bells in her head turned into church bells. Blood leaked out of her nose and ears before she fell to the ground, her breathing picking up pace and her eyes became unfocused. The last thing she saw was Newt cupping her cheeks before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped onto him, completely unconscious.

Then, everything changed when the visions started.


	8. Chapter 4 - Evelyn: Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She just wanted help.
> 
> She just wanted to get her and her sister out alive.
> 
> She didn't know she was signing their death sentences.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

**Warnings: contains domestic abuse (if you are suffering from domestic abuse please please consider getting help, no one deserves to suffer that way → or anyway frankly) , cursing, itty bitty amount of gore,**

_"Hello, what is your emergency?"_

_"I think my dad might be infected with the virus." Hazel's voice shook uncontrollably. The cut on her arm was dripping blood onto the old carpet. Once upon a time, it was a crisp, clean white color, now it was yellow, covered in mystery stains that had gotten there unnoticed._

_There is a pause on the other end of the phone._

_"What is your apartment number?"_

_Hazel rattled off an address that was long forgotten. She felt proud for remembering it, Amanda had just taught her how to read and though Amanda didn't think she did good, Hazel always told her she was the best teacher she could ever have._

_"Has anyone been injured?"_

_She glanced at her arm, "He cut my forearm with a piece of glass..." She was thankful she had hidden Amanda away from him. Even though she was younger, Hazel was always the stronger one out of the two of them, She could do things that most girls her age couldn't do, like boy push-ups or pull-ups._

_"Can you stop the bleeding?"_

_"I'm trying," Hazel's voice broke from the strain. She had been trying to hide the pain, after all, this wasn't the first time he had hurt her and she had the strangest feeling it wouldn't be the last. Her ribs were tender from bruises and her back ached from the welts._

_But the operator didn't need to know that_

_"A dispatch will be there as soon as possible, ma'am. Try to-"_

_The line went dead._

_Hazel's stomach churned in fear and she had the sudden urge to vomit. She turned slowly on her heel, dread weighing in her chest. Her father stood in the doorway, his head tilted in delight, holding the unplugged phone cord in his hands._

_"No, no, no. Dad please, you're sick, you aren't thinking straight." She raised her arms out of instinct, maybe in defense or in an attempt to seem less threatening to the feral human that used to be her father. Blood trickled down her left forearm, splattering onto the old, worn carpet._

_"Oh no, for the first time in ages I'm thinking clearly. I looked back on where I've failed and in every place I checked, the only common thread has been your disrespect **( <\-- eeeeyyy hamilton anyone??)** it's about time that I rid myself of you." He limps toward her, smiling through slimy black lips._

_"You pitiful little bitch! You ruined my life!" he continued to advance and Hazel continued to back up, before she finally hit the wall._

_"Dad, I'm sorry, please please just take a breath. You aren't yourself, I'm your daughter. Please just-!" He took the last few steps and grabbed her by the throat and pulled upwards until they were eye-height. Her legs kicked against the wall as she tried to find some leverage, find a way to get some air._

_"I...can't...b-breathe..." She rasped, clawing at his hands as he continued to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze. The man, the hollow shell of what was her father, smelt of death. His breath like rotting flesh._

_"HAZEL!!"_

_The man didn't need to turn as he kicked his leg back. He hit the little girl square in the stomach, sending her straight towards the wall. She slumped to the floor and her chocolate brown hair framed her unconscious form._

_"M-Mandy," She sobbed as blackspots invaded her vision. She gave up hope on her dad a long time ago, but if she lost Amanda, she wouldn't make it._

_She couldn't make it._

_There was banging on the front door, and then a loud crash._

_"SIR DOWN ON THE GROUND!" yelling, so much yelling, and bright white lights. And suddenly, she could breathe again. She gulped at the air greedily, craving the element that gave her life every single day. Her eyes landed on the figure on the other side of the room and she started to crawl to her. She didn't care that her body was in agony, she didn't care that her throat was on fire, all she wanted was Amanda._

_Even if the world was complete hell, all she needed was Amanda for it to be okay._

_Hazel weakly dragged her body across the floor and pulled herself over Amanda's unconscious figure. There might have been reinforcement to help restrain her father, but she wasn't willing to risk Amanda's safety._

_Her ear rested against Amanda's chest and she took comfort in her strong, steady heartbeat. She could see a group of SWAT members attempting to subdue her raging father a few feet away from them. Another person (maybe a doctor?) was rushing over to them getting out medical supplies and attempting to get their attention._

_But as Hazel's vision grew dark, she could only focus on the words stitched onto the doctor's lab coat._

_**W.I.C.K.E.D** _


	9. Chapter 5 - Arden: Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She won't deny, she is on edge.
> 
> After being told she was sent up to be their sex toy? Yeah, doesn't really put one at ease.
> 
> But there are some trustworthy people here.
> 
> Like the Keeper of the Runners.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

One thing Arden had learned about herself, is that she isn't very patient.

She sat, staring at the redhead. Her hair laid beneath her head like a fiery sun. They had brought her to what they called _Homestead_ , a slightly dilapidated, multipurpose, wooden building. She looked so much more peaceful and pleasant when she wasn't yelling or threatening people. On request, a boy had bought up a crude stool for her to sit on beside the girl's cot. It wasn't very comfortable.

How does she know?

Because she's been sitting on that very stool for the _past four hours!_

She huffed and tapped her foot in annoyance. She honestly didn't mind sitting in the room next to the ginger. She felt oddly safe whenever she was around her, feeling like she would always be okay as long as she was there.

The thing that was annoying her was that she couldn't _go_ anywhere.

After Newt had dropped the girl off in the room, he strictly told Arden she wasn't allowed to leave unless one of the Keepers came and got her. He told her that it would mean that Gathering was over.

_"But it's about us," she had protested. There was no way in hell they were going to decide her fate while she was locked away like a princess in a tower. Newt sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, wincing as he put too much pressure on his left leg._

I wonder what happened to it, _she thought._

_"I know you don't want to sit up here while we talk about you three, a-and I really don't want to seem like the bad guy here but," he ran his fingers through his hair. "Why is this so complicated," he mumbled, "You and your lot arrived ten minutes ago, one of you is unconscious and the other is a bloody baby! The Gathering would be overwhelmin' to you and-" he glanced over at the Med-Jacks, both who were working and he stepped closer, his voice dropping, "And until we know she's conscious and okay, I wouldn't want to leave her alone with these shanks. Not for a minute."_

_Arden sighed, he made a good argument. "Okay," she sighed, "I'll stay." He sighed in relief but Arden cut him off, "But I have one question?" His shoulders dropped in defeat, "What is it?"_

_"What's a shank?"_

She glanced around the room she was in for the hundredth time. And just like every time before, it was exactly the same, band-aids, gauze, Neosporin, painkillers, and rubbing alcohol sitting on top of the cabinets. The inside of the cabinets were filled with needles, thread, ice packs, ace-bandage wraps, braces.

And, of course, a sleeping ginger on one of the cots in the room.

She stared at the ginger expectantly, but instead of waking up, her annoyance melted at the sight. Blood was still smeared under her nose and ears and her face was only just getting its color back. After she had passed out in Newt's arms (if the situation wasn't so serious, she would have _'awww'd_ at the sight) he picked her up and carried her to homestead, shouting for a Med-jack (What they called their doctors, she later learned) the whole way.

She bit her lip, she was torn between cleaning her face off or sitting still and holding a sleeping baby. She twirled the toddler's sparse hair in her fingers, "What should I do, little one? Hm? Should I clean the mystery girl's face or should I sit still and hold you?"

The baby drooled on Arden's shirt.

"Good answer."

"So you are one of the greenie girls, eh?"

A tall, muscular boy with dark hair and almond-shaped eyes stood in the doorway. His gaze seemed to pierce through Arden's soul and she shifted uncomfortably as he continued to stare. She huffed when his words came back to mind, "Last I checked, my name wasn't greenie, so no I'm not a 'greenie girl' or whatever you call it. I'm just... me."

Suddenly, like someone flipped a switch, he started smirking, "Well, if you don't want to be called greenie or green bean, can I call you mine?" She stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds before scoffing, turning away. "We haven't even been here a day and people are already hitting on us and suggesting using us as sex toys. _Typical_."

"Look, I'm sorry," his voice was different than before, it sounded softer, more _genuine_. "It's not cool that people would suggest to use you for sex. That's not right and a little disgusting that someone can look at someone as pretty as you and only want to use you for sex. I'm sorry."

Arden couldn't help a slight smirk that came over her lips, "You think I'm pretty?" He stared at her with wide-eyes and placed his hands on his hips, scoffing in mock annyonce, "Greenie, I'm tryin' to apologize here, mind focusing on that for a little bit?"

She smiled, "Apology accepted. Here-" she pulled out another stool, "-Come sit with me while I wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake." He smiled in amusement and slowly walked over, "Does she need a true love's kiss?" Arden scoff, "After everything that happened today, I don't think any of those boys will come anywhere near us."

He snickered, "I heard about that, did she really threaten to rip David's balls off?" Arden nodded, "She also threatened to shove them down his throat." He slapped his knee and his laughter echoed in the room.

Unfortunately, it caused the baby to stir.

Arden's face became tight with panic and she bounced the baby lightly, soothing her back to sleep. She glared at the boy, "If you wake her up, I'm gonna skin you." He stared at the baby in her arms, an unreadable expression on his face. "I can't believe they actually sent a _baby_ up here," he mumbled.

His gaze drifted from the baby to the sleeping ginger, "In my years of being here, I never thought that we'd have girl greenies' in the Glade. Much less _three_. I didn't even consider them sending up a baby."

Arden didn't know how to respond to that.

The silence drifted between them, becoming stale, stiff, _uncomfortable_ , when-

"Do you want to hold her?"

The boy's head jerked up, " _What?_ " Arden smiled, "Do you want to hold her?" The boy looked oddly nervous, "I-I don't know how." She smiled reassuringly and moved closer, "It's okay, I'll show you. Look-" she was suddenly standing in front of him, moving his arms into the correct position before placing the baby in his grasp.

He gasped lightly at first, but then the baby cooed, grabbing his shirt with her tight fist and he relaxed. "This isn't so bad," he mumbled, bouncing the baby lightly. Arden smiled but it flattered when the baby started whimpering. _"What do I do,"_ he whispered-shouted as his eyes widened comically. "Bounce her lightly and consult her." He still looked panicked and he bounced her lighting, "Shh shh shh, it's okay," he spoke softly, "I'm right here, it's okay." The baby settled and drifted off again.

Even though the lighting wasn't great in the room, Arden noticed a lot of other facial features that she hadn't noticed before. There was a faint scar under his left eye like he accidentally cut himself with a knife or something. His cheeks had the faintest red color to them like he just finished running, or he had been blushing. His hazel colored eyes seemed hard when Arden first saw them, but now she realized they were soft-like mocha color, making her feel warm on the inside.

"Enjoying the view there, Greenie?"

Her cheeks flushed and she turned back towards the girl on the cot. _He had just caught me staring at him_ , Arden thought and she sighed, "Sorry. I shouldn't have been staring at you." She glanced back over at him, slightly dreading what she might find. He was wearing a cocky grin on his face and flexing his muscles, still being mindful of the baby, "It's alright, greenie. Plus, who could keep from staring at these muscles."

Arden scoffed, "I think your ego is inflated enough." He smirked one last time before turning his attention back to the baby, soothing her when she stirred again. She sighed sadly, _I wish I knew what her name was..._

_Paige..._

Arden snapped her head back in the girl's direction. For a moment, she thought the ginger had woken up and somehow knew the girl's name. But her eyes were still closed and she was asleep. She couldn't have been the one to talk.

"What did you say?"

The boy was looking at her, still bouncing the sleeping baby in his arms. Arden blinked, "I'm sorry, what?" He continued to stare at her, "You mumbled something. It sounded like a name. What was it?" She sighed and rubbed her eyelids, "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Too late, greenbean," he joked. But softened once he saw her distressed expression, "I promise I won't laugh." Arden couldn't help but smile softly, "Promise?" He smiled and raised his hand, "Runner's honour." She wanted to ask what a Runner was but something told her that he wasn't going to tell her.

Arden frowned as she recalled what had happened, "Well, what happened was that I was thinking about what the baby's name could be. I thought I heard someone say Paige and I thought it was the girl on the cot, but she's still asleep."

He just stared at her, "Do you think that's the baby's name?" Arden looked at the baby in his arms. Right when she looked at her, something clicked in her head. She nodded, "Yeah. Her name is Paige." He continued looking at her, "Do you know your name?" She smiled faintly, "Arden. My name is Arden."

He smiled at her, "Arden. Makes sense. Pretty name for a pretty girl." Her cheeks flushed, "How about you tell me your name? I don't want to have to call you 'Boy' if I want to address you." His smile didn't fade, "Minho. My name's Minho." She rested her head on her fist and wore a cheeky grin, "Minho. Make sense. Handsome name for a handsome man."

He didn't seem flustered by Arden's compliment. If anything, it seemed to make him more confident. He leaned closer to her face, "You think I'm handsome?" His voice was low, making Arden blush again. Movement on the cot caught our attention. The girl stirred slightly, her brows furrowed slightly like she was uncomfortable.

Arden's hand reached out and placed itself on her forehead, almost like an instinct. The Ginger's eyes flew open and her brown eyes looked around with slight alarm. "Hey, hey. It's alright," Arden said softly. The Ginger froze momentarily, her brown eyes looking up to meet silver-blue. Arden brushed some orange hair out of her eyes, trying to push away the feeling of déjà vu from this situation.

The Ginger squirmed away from Arden's hand and the latter sent her a stern glare, "Stop that right now." She immediately stopped, laying back onto the cot and she continued to stare at the blue-eyed girl. She did her best to ignore the ginger's stare as her fingers searched for a pulse. She went to pull away, but one glare from Arden and she stopped. The steady _thump-thump_ under Arden's fingers seemed to soothe her nerves about the girl being okay.

Arden smiled softly at the ginger, "Let's get your face cleaned up, okay?" She wordlessly nodded and went to push herself off the cot only to be stopped by a gasp of pain. Arden forced her back down gently. Her eyes landed on Minho, "Place the baby on one of the other cots and help me roll her over."

Minho frowned thoughtfully, "Greenie, this is a job for the Med-Jacks. You should wait till they get here and-" Arden cut him off with a tearful look, "Please Minho, she's in pain. Please, just help me help her." He stared at her for a moment before mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. He placed the baby on the other cot before taking a place next to Arden.

"Ready,"she questioned softly and he nodded, "One... Two... Three." They both rolled her over as quickly and as gently as they could. The girl threw her head back and through clenched teeth, started cursing like a sailor.

"Better not let Newt hear you say that," Minho warned, "He nearly had a heart attack when I cussed in front of him." The Ginger snorted and mumbled into her pillow, "Never took him as someone who hates cursing." Arden rolled her eyes at their senseless banter and went to raise the helm of her shirt.

A hand grabbed her wrist and she looked up to see the other girl staring at her, wide-eyed. Arden frowned in concern, "What is it? What's wrong?" The other girl just looked at her before her gaze shifted over to Minho then back again.

_Oh. OH._

Arden sent a sheepish look in Minho's direction, "Can you turn around please?" He frowned, "Why?" She huffed in annoyance, "Because most girls' don't like it when a guy stares at them when they are not completely covered." His eyes lit up in realization and he turned around without complaint.

Arden raised the other girl's shirt and her eyes went wide. "Minho, go get me some ice please." He nodded and wordlessly walked out the door. Arden's eyes drifted down to the girl's shirt. On her back were multiple scars, some were like claws and others were like they were placed there by a belt.

She traced over them with her fingers and she felt the girl stiffen underneath them. Arden pulled her hand back and placed it on her shirt, rubbing her back. She relaxed slightly, still staring at her with a suspicious gaze. "It's alright," Arden said softly, still rubbing her back, "I won't hurt you." She continued to stare at her as she rubbed her back. Arden smiled and started humming a wordless tune under her breath, hoping to put the girl at ease.

The reaction was immediate. Her tense shoulders relaxed and her eyes slowly slid close. Arden continued rubbing her back for a while, taking in the silence. Arden couldn't help but smile, even though the past few hours were hectic, it was oddly peaceful in the Glade, _almost as if it was untouched by the world..._

A few minutes later, Minho walked through the door, holding a bag of ice, "Hey, I got the ice!" Arden immediately placed a finger to her lips, "Shhh!" She pointed at the girl, the steady rise and fall of her chest a dead giveaway that she was sleeping. His mouth made an 'oh' shape and he whispered, "Hey, I got the ice."

Arden glared at him shortly before taking the bag of ice out of his hand. "Thank you," she mumbled before walking back over to the girl and placed it on her back. Her eyes shot open and her body tensed up again. Arden spoke softly to her again, "It's okay. It's just ice. To help your back." She didn't relax any, she just continued to watch Arden as she sat down and took the sleeping baby back into her arms.

"Do you remember your name, love?"

Arden flinched in surprise as Newt's voice sounded in the doorway. "When did you get here?!" Arden questioned. He raised an eyebrow and pointed at Minho, "Since this shank came back with the ice. He was actually the one I sent to tell you that the Gathering was over."

Minho ran a hand through his hair, "What can I say Newt? The girl can barely stay off of me." Arden rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you're so sticky with sweat, it's a wonder I could pull my hand away when you gave me the ice." Minho sent her an insulted look as Newt hid his snickers behind his hand.

"Glad to see you guys became all _buddy-buddy_ with each other since I passed out," the ginger grumbled as she sat up, wincing as she did. Newt seemed to come back to reality, "Right, Love. I hate to ask right now, but...do you remember your name?"

She stared at him silently for a few seconds before nodding, "Yeah... my name... my name is Evelyn."


	10. Chapter 6 - Evelyn: Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never hurt another Glader.
> 
> That's one of their rules.
> 
> That doesn't mean she can't beat them at their own game.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

Evelyn was surprised at how well she hid her shaking hands, especially from Arden.

She couldn't place her finger on why they were shaking, but she had a terrible feeling. It felt like someone had placed ice into her veins and it felt like blood was about to go rushing towards her ears. She felt like one wrong move and she would pass out again.

It took her a moment to realize that she was _terrified._

And it wasn't because of the Glade. No, she had felt oddly at home in the Glade, almost like she had been there before. But she felt the constant need to look over her shoulder, to check to make sure something bad wasn't going to happen to moment she turned around, she had to make sure that _he wasn't coming-_

 _Woah,_ she thought, _where had that come from?_

The more she thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Sure, the boys in the Glade were horny, but Newt had _specifically_ told them not to touch them. He had put down a rule that would stop them from harming the girls. There was no possible threat at the moment, _so why did she feel this way?_

Why couldn't she shake the feeling that something was wrong?

"Urmm-Greenie, you alright in there?"

"My name is Evelyn," she stated simply, not looking up from her hands. "Right then, Evelyn," she finally glanced up to look at Newt. His face softened when he saw her appearance and turned to question Arden. "Did a Med-Jack come to clean her up at all?"

"Clearly not, Newt. Can't you see the blood on her face." The other boy snapped-Minho, she recalled from his and Arden's conversation-and her lips twitched into a subconscious smirk. "Well, that's a shame," Evelyn stated, still smirking, "Can't see my pretty face if it's covered in blood, can you?"

Minho stared at her for a moment before laughing. "That's good," he wiped a fake tear from under his eye before pointing at her, "I like you, greenie. You and me are gonna be great friends." She playfully scoffed, "You claim to be my friend but you don't even call me my name, such a shame."

"We call all the newbies that," he waved away her weak jab, "Wait until next month for when the new greenie comes, then we'll call you by your name." Evelyn's smirk dropped, "Next greenie? They'll be more?" Her heart sunk to her stomach, the assholes that sent her here could do whatever they wanted with her, she didn't really care.

But sending up _another_ innocent child did not rub her the right way.

_At all._

"Aw shit," Minho mumbled as he realized his mistake and looked at Newt desperately. Newt cleared his throat and clamped his hands, bringing the girls' attention back to him. "Minho," he stated loudly, "Why don't you take Arden out to the bonfire while I clean Evelyn up? We'll be out to join you in a minute."

"Yeah, sounds good, Newt," Minho said before waving over-exaggerated, "Come on, Greenie-Girl! Let's go to the bonfire!" Arden had to speed-walk to keep up with him, "My names Arden," was all Evelyn heard before their senseless banter faded away.

Newt grabbed the water bottle from one of the cabinets and gently poured the water onto it. Evelyn's eyes widened, "Oh, you don't have to-" Newt's eyes met hers and the rest of her response died on her lips. "I want to," he said softly and began to gently wash away the blood.

She held eye contact with him for a moment before looking down. A stain on his shirt caught her eye. The edges were faded brown and the center was red and her heart stopped when she realized it was her blood.

The blood stain was right over his heart.

"I'm sorry I ruined your shirt-" she started but he cut her off again. "It's just a shirt, love. But there are some things I want to talk to you about." She stared at him, giving him her full attention. Newt took a minute to gather his thoughts before he began, "Firstly, I wanted to apologize for those shanks out there. This is the first time they've seen a girl in, well, as long as they can remember."

"It doesn't make it right," Evelyn stated and Newt nodded in agreement. "No, it doesn't, which is why I wanted to apologize to you for them." The girls nodded in acceptance before questioning hesitantly, "Alby said something to Gally earlier, something about a Gathering?"

"I was hoping you forgot about that," Newt mused before moving to clean her ears. "After you passed out, alby called a Gatherin' to try and figure out what to do with you-"

 _"What to do with me,"_ Evelyn jerked away and looked at him alarmed, "What do you mean _'What to do with me'?!"_

"Just to figure out things, like sleepin' arrangements and stuff, nothing too major, love." Newt gently pulled her back over so that he could clean her other ear and Evelyn was silent before questioning, "So where _will_ we be sleeping tonight?"

Newt finished cleaning her up and placed the cloth on the bed side table, "You will be sleeping with me while the other greenie sleeps in Minho's room. You and the other girl get to decide who takes the baby."

Evelyn raised a brow in question, "Are...are these sleeping arrangements _permanent?_ " Newt raised an eyebrow at her, "As of now, yes they are. Alby might call another Gatherin' in a week or so to see if anything needs to be changed for you Greenies." Evelyn frowned, "But what about baby food? And diapers and such? Do you guys even have those things here?"

"The box sent some of those things up today, along with some things for you girls. Had to stop some of those shanks from peepin' in the box when we brought it out. They decided to put it in my room until you and the girl sort out who gets what."

Evelyn nodded and prayed they sent up some good pads, somehow she knew that she didn't like tampons.

"Now come on," Newt exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door, "The party has already started! And you're the reason for celebration!" Evelyn flattered, "What?!" He pulled her outside and every Glader was gathered around a bonfire, some of them wrestling and others were talking and drinking something out of a jar.

"Hey Frypan, give the Greenie some of the bacon," Newt called out as he pulled her towards the kitchen. Frypan-who turned out to be the boy in the apron from earlier-smiled cheerfully at Evelyn. "Hey there, greenie," he cheered and smiled sympathetically, "Saw you take a rough tumble there today. Here, have some bacon, it'll fix you right up!"

He threw Evelyn a piece of bacon with a smile on his face. She caught it with one hand and couldn't be bothered to flinch at the heat. She glanced at the boys hesitantly before taking a bite. Her eyes widened and she practically inhaled the pork. "Good, isn't it," Newt questioned with a smile, even though he clearly knew the answer.

Evelyn nodded, suddenly feeling a lot better not that she had something on her stomach. "We have to go find the other greenie, catch you later Fry!" Newt dragged her away from him and all she heard was Frypan exclaiming how everyone loves his pork.

"Newt! Lady-Shank! Over here!" Newt was somehow about to move through the crowds, leading them over to a smirking Minho and an annoyed looking Arden. "Oh no," Newt groaned, "I leave you too alone for thirty minutes and you already annoyed her. Why did you do?"

Minho held in hands up to proclaim his innocence, "Nothing! I just gave her something to drink. Would you like to try, Lady-Shank?" Minho held a glass out to Evelyn and she took it hesitantly, "Uh sure? But what's with the new nickname?"

"Apparently, that's his way of telling us apart when someone says greenie. Not like we don't have actual names that they could use," Arden grumbled. "Uh," Evelyn mumbled, "Okay." She took a sip out of the jar Minho handed her and was surprised at the slight burn she got from the drink, "What is that," she questioned as she took another sip.

"Gally's secret recipe."

Evelyn immediately spit it out, " _Why would you give me that?!_ He could be trying to poison me for all we know!" Minho rolled his eyes, clapping a hand onto her shoulder and setting her down onto the log next to Arden, "Relax, Lady-Shank, that was my drink. He wouldn't try to poison me, I'd kick his pony-lovin' butt if he tried."

"If you say so, Min," Evelyn took another drink of the amber liquid before offering it to Arden, "Want some?" She rolled her eyes, "No thanks, someone has to stay sober to keep the baby alive."

"Hey Greenie-Girl! Come fight me!"

The Gladers parted like the red sea as Gally stood before them, blessing them with the view of his _crazy_ eyebrows. Arden rolled her eyes again, "Sorry, _Galileo_. No can do, I'm on baby-sitting duty." Gally raised an eyebrow, "I think you're just too scared to fight me." Arden glared, "Do you not know how to take no for an answer? Only an idiot would-"

"I'll fight you."

Arden turned and scowled at Evelyn, _"You're not helping."_ Evelyn took another drink, "I'm not tryin' to help." Gally laughed, _"You?!_ think you can take _me?!_ I bet the only reason your doing this is cause that drinks makin' you _ballsy-"_

Evelyn took another gulp of the amber liquid before shoving it to Arden, "Hold me drink." Arden rolled her eyes, but took the drink nonetheless, "Yeah, you go kick his ass, babe. I've got your drink." Evelyn glanced over her shoulder and sent her an exaggerated wink, causing the Gladers to hoot and holler.

She stood in front of Gally in the ring of sand, waiting for him to get ready. "Alright greenie, all you have to do is-". She cut him off "I watched these fights, Gally, I know what to do." She could feel his hate for her grow.

Without warning, he charged. She easily sidestepped him, letting him trip and get dirt all in his eyebrows. The Glade was silent, watching to see what would happen next. Gally stood up and glared at Evelyn, shooting all the fury of hell ather. Before she could blink he slammed her to the ground and whispered to me, "I think I won."

Evelyn pushed him back and got up, "Think again." She punched him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back. A sudden thought popped into her head, _Getting hit in the stomach is effective but hitting the diaphragm is the way to go. It causes the lungs to spasm a little and your opponent will have to stop to recover._

And Gally did. He backed up and placed his hands on his knees, catching his breath. She patiently waited for him to recover and as soon as he did, he charged at her again. She side-stepped him and punched him in the kidneys.

_Kidney punches hurt a bunch. Use that to your advantage._

Gally's eyebrows scrunched up in pain before he came at her again.

 _Will this guy ever learn,_ she thought exasperatedly

Evelyn prepared to side-step again, but he caught her and threw her towards the middle of the circle.

_When fighting a larger person, they will have an easier time forcing you back._

_Mental note,_ Evelyn grumbled to herself, _don't get cocky in the middle of a fight._

Gally began walking towards her and she swept her legs underneath him, causing him to fall on his face.

_People with more experience with fighting will get where they are more comfortable. A wrestler will get on the ground and a boxer will stay on their feet._

He came forward and somehow, she could tell he was going to kick her.

_Get in close range when someone is going to kick you. It gives you an opening to attack and there won't be enough room for their kick to be effective._

She wordlessly stepped forwards and caught his leg as he tried to kick her. Before he could pull his leg away, she kicked him in his other knee, causing him to fall to the ground.

Before Evelyn could push him out of the circle, he rolled to the side and jumped up, aiming a punch for her nose.

_If you get punched in the nose, your eyes will water. No matter what, even if it didn't hurt._

She ducked the punch and aimed one of her own towards his jaw

_The jaw is the knockout button. Hit it hard enough and your opponent is down for the count._

For a moment, all you can hear is the sound of her fist hitting his jaw. He crumpled to the ground and, ironically, landed outside the circle.

The crowd was quiet for a moment before cheers broke out. Evelyn went to Gally, dragging him to the closest log to make sure she didn't hurt him too badly. The fogged look was starting to leave his eyes. She wordlessly handed him a drink that was on the ground.

"You beat me?" He slurred and she ignored the question, "The alcohol in that drink will block out the pain for a little while. I suggest putting ice on your jaw if it hurts anymore. Get the Med-Jacks to make sure I didn't do any permanent damage."

Before he could ask more questions, she walked back over to her little group that she had made in her short time there. Arden held out her drink for her to take when she reached them. "Good job," she praised, "That was funny to watch."

"Thank you, kind miss, for letting my sorrow and pain bring you comfort and joy," Evelyn took a drink and noticed Newt and Minho were staring at her in awe, "Problem boys?" Minho was the first to react, "That was totally wicked," he shouted, earning a few odd looks from the other Gladers, but Minho didn't bat an eye.

"You're the first greenie to ever beat Gally, love. That was incredible." Newt's praise sounded more genuine and, for some reason, it made Evelyn's cheeks flush with heat. "Yeah-er, thanks Newt."

"I swear, that was the coolest thing I've seen in a year, Lyn," Minho rambled and Evelyn raised an eye at the name, "Lyn?" MInho nodded, his awed expression shifting back to his usual smirk.

 _It was fun while it lasted,_ Evelyn mused

"You gave me a nickname, might as well give you one,"he concluded and the group of friends fell into a peaceful silence. Evelyn was beginning to feel a slight buzz from her drink and a cool breeze passed through the Glade. Evelyn smirked when she saw Arden curl up against Minho for warmth. Things weren't what she's thought they'd be, that's for sure, but as long as she had these three by her side, she could handle anything.

"Lyn," she mused one final time before taking another drink, "I like it."


	11. Chapter 7-Evelyn: Find Our Way Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grievers can be terrifying.
> 
> At least to other people.
> 
> She is simply curious.
> 
> Because she knows every monster has it's weakness.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't o** **w** **n any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

_She didn't know where she was, it was too dark for her to see. She stumbled, tripping over her own two feet before standing back up and brushing the dirt off her clothes._ "Newt," _she called,_ "Arden? Minho? C'mon guys, this isn't funny."

_She was quiet for a moment when he could hear whispers. She sighed in relief and made her way towards them. Once she was close enough, close enough to just begin to make out what they were saying, they stopped._

_Evelyn froze in her spot, muscles rigid and tense as she waited for something to happen._

_For a moment, there was nothing._

_But as she took a step forward, the wind was suddenly howling in her ears. The whispers she had heard before, were now shouts._

_"_ _You pitiful little bitch! You ruined my life!"_

_"Shut up and do your job."_

_"You betrayed us. You betrayed **me**."_

_"I don't care. You're_ nothing _to me."_

_"Just get the bloody hell out!"_

_"Get the hell away from me, you freak!"_

_She pressed her hand over her ears, wincing,_ "Shut up..."

**_"They want nothing to do with you."_ **

_She shook her head roughly,_ "It's just a dream, Evelyn..." _  
_

**_"I should kill you here and now..."_ ** _  
_

"So wake up..." _she whispered._

_**"Or maybe I should kill those pretty sisters of yours-"** _

_She slapped the sides of her head violently and roared at the top of her lungs,_ "WAKE UP!!"

_"Love, it's time to wake up."_

Evelyn could barely think, her body shaking, which she tried and failed to hide, from her fight-or-flight response. The feeling was back, the feeling of impending doom. Her heart was loud in her ears and it felt like the smallest noise would cause chaos. Her fingers twitched, she needed a weapon, she needed to protect herself, _she need to keep them safe-_

A hand grabbed her arm and shook her. She launched out of bed and landed in a fighting position, ready to fight anyone even as she was trying to blink the sleep from her eyes.

"Easy, love! It's just me!"

Her vision finally cleared and she saw Newt in front of her, holding his hands out in an attempt to calm her. Once she realized what was happening, she dropped her arms and shifted out of her fighting stance.

She still didn't know how she knew what that was.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "I thought you were someone else." Newt slowly let his hands fall to his side and smiled softly, "It's quite alright, love." She glanced out his window and frowned at how dark it was. "It's-" she grabbed his wrist watch, "-5 o'clock in the morning, why the _hell_ did you wake me up?"

Newt rolled his eyes, "I need to show you something. Now put on your shoes and be quiet about it, most of the Gladers are light sleepers." She stared at him with a puzzled look before glancing down at her feet. True to Newt's word, there were no shoes on her feet, only a pair of white socks.

"But... I thought I slept with my shoes on..." Thinking back on last night, she realized she _did_ fall asleep with her shoes on. At least until the final time. She could vaguely remember stumbling back into Newt's room after Arden drifted off again and had fallen into her sleeping bag. She was almost asleep when she felt someone gently sliding her shoes off, being careful not to wake her-

"You took my shoes off last night." It wasn't a question, she hadn't heard anyone else enter the room last night, but she did hear Newt move around in his sleeping bag. She had just assumed he rolled over. _But apparently he hadn't-_

Newt coughed awkwardly and rubbed the nape of his neck, "Well, I mean, yeah. I figured you'd be more comfortable if you slept without those bloody shoes on. Honestly they look like they could give anyone bloody _blisters-"_

Her combat boots sat next to her sleeping bag. They were covered in dust from her fight with Gally last night and the toes were scuffed up, like she had kicked things quite frequently with them.

She blinked, "Oh, well," she cleared her throat, "Thank you, Newt. That was very kind of you." He nodded, "Yeah-urm-anytime-"

 _"Oh my god, will you shanks hurry up?!_ We don't have all day!"

Evelyn rolled her eyes, "Shut up Minho, not everyone can roll out of bed looking flawless." Minho leaned against the door frame, one arm above his head and the other on his hip. "Like me," he questioned with a cheeky grin.

"I was kinda talking about, Newt."

Minho sent her an insulted look and Newt attempted to hide his grin in his fist. She snickered quietly as she slid her boots on, making sure they were double knotted before she followed Newt and Minho.

She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

Arden stood at the bottom of the steps glaring at Minho with a _very awake_ baby in her arms. Her hair looked wet and droplets of water were falling onto her shirt. Newt groaned, glaring at Minho, "What did you do now?" Minho had the dignity to look sheepish, "I kind of poured cold water on Arden to wake her up and I didn't know she was holding the baby and I kind of got water on the baby."

" _Bullshit_ ," Arden hissed, "You knew I was holding the baby because last night I fell asleep with her in my arms. _You knew that!_ " Their senseless banter came to a stop as we walked by the sleeping Gladers. Evelyn smirked when she 'accidentally' stepped on David's hand. Newt's glare was worth the satisfaction.

 _Asshole,_ she swore.

They made their way through the sleeping Gladers, and Newt led them towards the western wall, Minho bringing up the rear. "Let me get this straight," Evelyn stated, being somewhat 'mindful' of the sleeping Gladers, "You woke us up. At _five_ in the morning? To look at a _wall_?"

"Be quiet, Lady-shank," Minho said and Newt reached through the Ivy, parting it like a curtain, to reveal a dust-covered window. It was about two feet wide and looked like it was painted black. They waited in silence for two minutes before Evelyn spoke. "I'm really trying to hold back on the sarcastic comments, but what are we supposed to be looking at?"

"Be patient, Lady-Shank. One'll be comin' along soon."

"Okay... but what are we supposed to be looking at?"

"And what's out there anyways," Arden finally questioned.

Newt pressed his face against the small window, his warm breath fogging up the cool glass. "Out there's the Maze," his voiced was a hushed whisper, eyes holding a dazed look. "Everything we've ever done, and everything we will ever _do_ , revolves around the Maze. Every buggin' _second_ of every buggin' _day_ , we spend tryin' to solve this shuckin' Maze. And we have to show ya why it shouldn't be messed with. Show ya the reason those walls close every night and why you should never _ever_ find yourself out there."

Evelyn felt like her throat was closing off and she did her best to hide it, "How long have you guys been here?" Minho and Newt shared a grim look, "A year and a half."

 _And you still haven't found a way out,_ Evelyn wanted to ask, but deep down, she knew it was more complicated than that. "There's more to the Maze, isn't there," she questioned softly. "You're smarter than you look, Greenbean," Minho crossed his arms while shifting his weight from one leg to another. "The shuckin' walls move every night, changing and rearranging themselves into something different."

Evelyn opened her mouth, most likely to ask another question, when Newt finally pulled back from the glass."Here comes one now," he said, still holding back the ivy so one of the girls could peer through the window. Arden glanced at the window anxiously and looked at Evelyn, "Ladies first?" Evelyn glared at her and smacked her arm.

 _Pussy,_ she swore.

Evelyn marched up to the window, cupping her hands around her eyes so that she could see. _Newt's face was here a few moments ago_ , her brain nagged and her attention was dragged from what she was supposed to be looking at to the slowly fading warmth on the glass that was now becoming her own.

 _Pull yourself together Evelyn,_ she scowled at herself.

Movement on the other side of the window caught her attention.

Her heart stopped at what she saw.

A creature, that was roughly the size of a cow, was a horrific combination between an animal and a machine. She could barely see its silhouette, but she could make out blurs of silver spikes, a saw blade, and a set of shears.

Evelyn was slightly disturbed _(and terrified)_

It seemed to know it was being observed and pressed itself deeper into the shadows. Its eyes held a hunger that Evelyn didn't know was possible for a machine to have. It looked like it wanted to get into the Glade, to feast and hunt down the Gladers until there was nothing left.

She pulled back and did her best to make her expression unreadable. She didn't want to scare Arden, though she still couldn't explain why she was doing so much for a _stranger_. "What is that thing?" Newt stepped back Letting the ivy fall, "We call 'em Grievers." _  
_

Minho uncrossed his arms and clapped a hand on one of the girls' shoulders. "You see now greenies," Minho questioned with a grim look, "This is why you should never find yourself out there. Because of them. They don't hunt because of food, they do it because they _can_."

"You'd be lucky to get away with just the changing," Newt commented, grimacing and shifting his weight again. Evelyn's gaze finally tore from the window and she looked at Newt. "What's the Changing?"

"It happens when a person is stung by a Griever and then given the Grief Serum," Minho glared at the hidden window, "As long as they get the Grief Serum, they'll be fine, but it hurts. _A lot_." Evelyn raised a brow at him, "You've been through it?"

He shook his head, "No, but some of the shanks here have. They get stung, and the ones we're able to bring back, get the Grief Serum. They go through the shuckin' Changing and when it's all done, they're different. " Evelyn frowned at the funny words but was still able to understand what Minho was trying to say, "Hence the name?"

In a weak to lighten the mood, she wanted to make a crack about their creativity, about how they really couldn't come up with a better name? But she couldn't make jokes, not about a topic that was so serious. The boys both nodded, "Hence the name."

She ran her fingers through her hair when she paused, something from their conversation springing back at her, "Wait, you said some people have been through the Changing, which means some people have to go out there with those things?" Newt nodded, "Those are the Runner. They go out there to try and map the bloody Maze so that we can get out of here."

Arden finally spoke up, she seemed to just be listening to the conversation, but now she had some questions of her own. "Why are we here," she questioned softly but she wasn't looking at them. She was looking at Paige, who was now sleeping. Everyone grew quiet before Newt spoke up, "We don't know. But you've been sent here, your one of us now. You've been sent to the Glade, Greenies, and we'll be expectin' ya to survive and help us do what we've been sent here to do."

"And what would that be," Evelyn questioned. And she knew from then on, she'd do whatever it would take to get these girls home. She didn't know why she was here and she wasn't sure if she would ever find out. But if there was any way she could help these 'Runners' find a way out and get those girls home, she would do it.

_Consequences be damned._

"Find our way out," Newt said. "Solve the buggin' Maze and find our way home."


	12. Chapter 8-Arden: Begin The Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have come to learn that the Glade is an odd place.
> 
> They have to learn the rules there.
> 
> Or they won't survive.

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't o** **w** **n any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

A couple hours later, the doors were open and Minho was gone.

Arden was nervous (she was not _scared, because she was in the Glade, she was safe, she had no reason to be_ _ **scared.** ) _Her mind kept drifting back towards the Griever that she saw this morning and her mind kept thinking, _What if Minho runs into one? What if he gets hurt? What if he has to go through the Changing?_

The worst part is, _she shouldn't even be this concerned!_

She arrived yesterday, no memory of anything, no friends, no family, nothing. She woke up in a box and is currently _(because she definitely isn't getting attached already. Nope. Nope._ ** _Nope_** _.)_ surrounded by strangers. She shouldn't be this protective of strangers, she hasn't even known them twenty-four hours! She shouldn't be this attached! But she _is! And she doesn't know why!!_

She slammed her head against the table, earning a few odd looks from the Gladers.

At least, from the ones who weren't already looking.

 _"Pigs,"_ she heard Evelyn snarl under her breath and Arden grunted in agreement, mentally and physically scowling.

"Penny for your thoughts," Newt questioned from in front of her.

After showing the girls the Griever, Newt had insisted that they go and get breakfast. Which is also where Minho got his lunch and he broke the news that he was the Keeper of the Runners, with awkward jazz hands before he had to leave.

 _Very_ anxiety inducing.

Arden sighed and lifted her head from the table, "I guess I'm just worried." Evelyn snorted, shifting Paige onto her lap. "I'm pretty sure I'm emotionally constipated and _I_ could have told you _that_." Arden's scowl deepened and she smacked Evelyn's arms. _"Ow!"_ Evelyn yelped, more out of shock than pain.

"I'm worried about Minho," Arden grumbled and she rested her head on her folded arms. Newt and Evelyn fell silent. Arden started rambling, unable to stop the words that were coming out of her mouth, "I mean, I know I just met him and I shouldn't be this concerned about him, but after seeing the Griever this morning I guess it's just making me paranoid-"

Evelyn reached out and placed a hand over the other girl's mouth, "Arden, stop talking. Minho's going to be fine, you're overreacting. Plus, his been doing this for a year and a half at most, what would odds be that he is attacked now?"

Arden let out a deep sigh through her nose, "You're right, I'm sorry. Probably just stress from..you know, _everything_." Newt smiled sympathetically, "First day is stressful for all the greenies. Can't imagine how you girls are handling it."

Evelyn waved her spoon she was using to feed Paige with at Newt. Apple Sauce dripped off the end and landed on the table with a _splat._ "I'm gonna ignore how sexists that sounds because I know you're not trying to be sexists and I know you're saying that because the vast majority of the boys here are staring at us like we're a piece of meat."

As soon as she said that, all the boys _(and I mean,_ all _of them)_ immediately looked away, staring at their plates in embarrassment at being caught. Newt stared at them in disgust before shaking his head, turning to look back at the girls, "Sorry 'bout that, love-"

Arden raised an eyebrow at the nickname while Evelyn's cheeks were dusted light pink.

"-but like I said last night, this is the first time they've seen a girl in, well, as long as they can remember." Evelyn pursed her lips and stared away from them, "Right... not remembering." Something about her tone made Newt's eyes hold a more serious look. He grabbed her free hand and Evelyn dropped the spoon in surprise.

"Evelyn, do you remember something?"

Evelyn pursed her lips again before sighing, "It's not...really a memory. It's just a feeling..." Newt blinked before pulling back, running his fingers through his hair, "And what would that be?" Evelyn stared at him cautiously before hesitantly saying, "Familiarity. Like I've seen you before, but I just don't know how or why."

Newt ran his thumb across his lip before starting to stand up, "We have to tell Alby-" Evelyn grabbed his arm and pulled him down, "Tell him later. For all we know, this could be nothing. We could be getting his hopes up for no reason. Please Newt, please."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Arden cleared her throat, "You two need a minute?" They both blushed and pulled away. Newt sighed and sat back down, "Fine, just keep me updated and I won't tell Alby."

"Tell me what?"

Arden jumped as Alby's voice sounded behind her. His arms were crossed over his chest and he stared at Newt expectantly, "Got something you wanna share Newt?" Newt paled at the sight of his leader, "Umm...well-"

Evelyn turned to face him, looking strangely cool and collected. Her eyes held a mischievous glint and her lips wore a knowing smirk, "Well, we weren't going to tell you, but Ardy over here almost threw up at the sight of a Griever this morning. Thought we could save her the embarrassment, but you found us out."

Arden's face flushed red and she discreetly kicked Evelyn from under the seat.

Alby's face flashed with sympathy before his emotionless mask set back in. He clapped both of their shoulders, "Time to go, greenies. Tour beginnings now." They all stood to leave when Newt placed a folded napkin in Evelyn's hand. "You didn't eat," he said simply, followed by a sweet smile, "Can't have the green-bran go hungry, can we?"

Arden wordlessly took Paige from Evelyn and she unfolded the napkin, taking a bite from the bread. Alby stocked off and Arden began to follow when she turned to look back at Evelyn. She was smiling, her cheeks filled with bread. "Thanks, Newt!" she cheered before running after Alby.

She never noticed Newt's blush or how he smiled as she ran away.


	13. Chapter 9-Evelyn: Learning About The Glade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have to be careful.
> 
> About who they trust, about who they tell their secrets to.
> 
> Or they might just get hurt

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't o** **w** **n any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

Alby began by walking extremely fast towards the Box hole.

Evelyn had no problem keeping up, she could easily keep pace with Alby. Arden, however, could not keep up, she was at least five feet behind them as they walked. Albeit, she had a baby in her arms and she couldn't walk very fast or she might trip and _drop_ _the baby._

Yeah, they didn't want that to happen.

The double doors laid flat on the ground, covered in white paint, faded and cracked. Evelyn could still hear the shrill sound of the doors opening, making her internally cringe. Alby turned and stared at them with narrow eyes, "While I'm givin' the tour, save all of your questions until the end. I want to get this done as quickly as possible so you can start your trials today. Am I clear?"

Evelyn wanted to ask what the trials were, but she remembered Alby's words. So, in response, she pinched her thumb and pointer finger together and dragged it across her mouth before acting like she was locking her lips. She held out her hand, palm facing up, to Arden and simply stared at her. Arden rolled her eyes and swiped 'the key' off of Evelyn's hand before putting it in her pocket.

Instead of doing what Evelyn did, she simply stated, "I understand, Alby."

Evelyn sent Alby a thumbs up.

Alby rolled his eyes before he crouched down and placed his hand on the Box, "This here's the Box. Once a month, we get a Newbie, a Green-bean. It's never failed, not once until you three came up."

 _Well, sorry for jacking your system buddy,_ Evelyn thought sarcastically but stayed quiet.

Alby continued, acting like he didn't subtly accuse them of breaking the system. "Once a week, we get supplies, clothes, some food. Ain't needin' a lot—pretty much run ourselves in the Glade." Alby stood back up, brushed his hands off, and turned back to them, "We don't know jack about the Box, you get me? Where it came from, how it gets here, who's in charge. The shanks that sent us here ain't told us nothin'. We got all the electricity we need, grow and raise most of our food, get clothes and such. Tried to send a slinthead Greenie back in the Box one time—thing wouldn't move till we took him out."

Evelyn was itching to ask questions, mainly if they were allowed to ask for things because they only had to bags of pads and Evelyn was pretty sure that wouldn't last two teenaged women their entire time in the Glade (however long that may be.)

Alby spread his arms wide and gestured to the land around them. "Glade's cut into four sections. Gardens, Blood House, Homestead, Deadheads. You got that?"

Evelyn and Arden wordlessly nodded and Paige started to chew on Arden's fingers.

Alby sighed deeply, like he would rather be doing anything else but give them the tour. "Gardens—where we grow the crops. Water's pumped in through pipes in the ground—always has been, or we'd have starved to death a long time ago. Never rains here. Never."

Evelyn wanted to comment on the oddity of that but kept silent.

"Blood House—where we raise and slaughter animals."

Evelyn saw Arden wince in her peripheral vision.

"Homestead—stupid place is twice as big than when the first of us got here because we keep addin' to it when they send us wood and klunk. Ain't pretty, but it works. Most of us sleep outside anyway. 'Cept for you shanks."

And finally, Alby pointed towards the southwest corner, the forest area fronted with several sickly trees and benches. "Call that the Deadheads. Graveyard's back in that corner, in the thicker woods. Ain't much else. You can go there to sit and rest, hang out, whatever."

Alby bagan walking towards the Maze doors, talking as he did. They girls followed wordlessly, "You'll spend the next two weeks working one day apiece for our different job Keepers—until we know what you're best at. Slopper, Bricknick, Bagger, Track-hoe—somethin'll stick, always does." He pointed towards the large barn in the back corner, its red paint long faded to a dull rust color. "Back there's where the Slicers work. Nasty stuff, that. Nasty. If you like blood, you can be a Slicer."

Evelyn couldn't stop herself, "As a woman, I deal with enough blood as it is, I don't think I need to deal with anymore then I have to."

Alby stopped walking and looked at Evelyn.

Arden pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand and shook her head.

 _This is it,_ Evelyn thought, _this is how I die._

And Alby started laughing.

The Gladers who were close to them turned and stared at Alby with wide eyes and open mouths. Some began whispering to each other, most likely asking what the _hell_ was making Alby laugh so hard.

It took a minute for his laughing to calm down into chuckles. "You're funny girlie. You're a real jokester," he stated before he started walking towards the South doors again.

 _That's funny 'cause I wasn't joking,_ Evelyn thought nervously.

The light atmosphere from earlier seemed to vanish once they reached the doors. Alby jabbed his thumb in the direction of the Maze, "Out there's the Maze. One year and a half, I've been here. Ain't none been here longer. The few before me are already dead."

Arden took in a shape breath and Evelyn was quiet.

"One year and a half we've tried to solve this thing, no luck. Shuckin' walls move out there at night just as much as these here doors. Mappin' it out ain't easy, ain't easy nohow." He nodded towards a concrete building near the box that Evelyn hadn't paid much attention to.

Evelyn took a hesitant step forward, almost stepping into the Maze when Alby grabbed her shoulder, "Ain't no goin' out there, shank." Evelyn glanced at the Maze, then back to Alby, "Why not?"

Alby raised a brow, "You think I sent Newt and Minho to you before the wake-up just for kicks? Freak, that's the Number One Rule, the only one you'll never be forgiven for breaking. Ain't nobody _—nobody—_ allowed in the Maze except the Runners. Break that rule, and if you ain't killed by the Grievers, we'll kill you ourselves, you get me?"

Evelyn's eyes widened, " _Jeez_ , you went from zero to a hundred _real_ quick, Alby."

Alby stared at Evelyn, his brows still raised.

 _Oh dear god, please let him be joking,_ Evelyn thought desperately.

A flash of silver and red pulled her attention away from Alby and she just managed to see a small shape before it ducked through the ivy. "Did you see that?" Evelyn questioned, forgetting that Alby said no questions. "Probably just a Bettle Blade," he said before scowling, "What did I say about no questions!?"

He stomped away from them and began heading towards the bench by the box. Evelyn and Arden looked at each other before shrugging, following after him. Alby sat down on the bench and heaved a heavy sigh, finally say the one thing Evelyn knew he had been dreading since the beginning of the tour.

"Ask your questions..."

"Can we ask for things to come up in the box," Evelyn questioned immediately.

Alby nodded, "You can just write it down on a piece of paper and send it down with the box. They should send it up with supplies. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, like the time Minho asked for a TV or a Map or a poster of _One Direction_."

Evelyn smirked and Arden snickered, "Minho's a _One Direction_ fan?"

"That's my best guess, next question?"

Arden asked the next one, "Where did your slang come from?"

"Where do words come from? Same thing."

 _Jeez, that helpful,_ Evelyn thought sarcastically, "You said something about Trials earlier, what did you mean by that?" Alby crossed his arms and slouched in his seat, "We have to figure out what job you're good at. Track-Hoe, Builder, Med-Jack are a few of the jobs here. We find out what your good at, then put you to work."

Arden frowned, "What will we do about the baby while we do the trials? Because we can't sit her down and, not to try and jack up your system, but there's no way in _hell_ I'm taking a baby into the Blood House."

Alby frowned like he hadn't thought of that, then shrugged, "One can work for the first part of the day while the other works the second half. Whoever's not working can watch the baby." Evelyn nodded her head, her bottom lip sticking out in approval.

 _Not bad for coming up with it on the fly,_ she thought.

"You said that greenie come up every month, so was the greenie before us?"

Alby stood up and turned around his eyes scanning a group of Builder before he cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hey Leo! Get over here!" It took a moment for a young, hispanic boy to cut through the group, quickly jogging over to Alby. "Hiya, Admiral Alby," he greeted cheerfully, "How are the _judías verdes_ settling in?"

"Just finishing up giving them the tour before sending them off for dinner. Greenies, this is the Green-bean before you, Leo. Leo this is Arden, Evelyn, and Paige." Evelyn suck her hand and shook Leo's hand firmly, "Nice to meet you." Leo raised an eyebrow in approval, "Nice grip you got there, _Hermana_."

"Hey Leo," Alby asked, "Do you mind taking over the tour for me? I got some things I need to get done before dinner." Leo grinned, "Sure thing, _Hermano_. Go do your boring leader stuff, I've got this!" Alby clapped him once on the shoulder before walking off, heading towards Homestead.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask," Evelyn said once Alby was out of ear-shot, "What the _hell_ does he need to do? _Paperwork? Taxes?"_

 _Drugs?_ She thought, but she didn't say it.

Leo shrugged, "Don't know, _Hermana_ , but never question the big man. That'll just get you in trouble."

Before Evelyn could ask a question, most likely if he had found out the hard way, people began flocking towards Homestead. "What's going on," Evelyn wondered, anxiety pooling in her gut. _Was there a meeting? Was something wrong? Were they under_ ** _atta-_**

"That, _Novatos_ ," Leo grinned as he clapped both of the girls on the shoulder, "is dinner. Now, _come on!_ Frypan either made sandwiches or hamburgers today and I _sure as hell_ hope it's the latter!"

**_Okay, so, quick translation..._ **

**_ Judías Verdes~Green-beans _ **

**_ Hermana~Sister _ **

**_ Hermano~ Brother _ **

** _Novatos~Newbies_ _  
_ **


	14. Chapter 10-Evelyn: Bad News/Good Night

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't o** **w** **n any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.**  
_

**_Warning: Gally being a dick, the word rape is involved. No one gets raped, the word is just said._ **

Unfortunately for Leo, Frypan made ham-sandwiches for dinner.

"Ugh, it's been ages since you made burgers last, Fry. When are you gonna make them again," Leo moaned as they were handed their food Frypan raised an eyebrow at him, "Leo, I made hamburgers three days ago."

 _"I_ _know_! It's been ages, _Sartén! Ages!!"_

He shook his head and chuckled, "You're one weird shank, Leo." Evelyn grabbed Leo by the arm, shouting goodbye to Frypan before she began to walk away. After her day, all she wanted to do was sit down and eat.

"Hey Evelyn! Catch!" 

Evelyn turned just in time to catch the objects he threw at her. One object was a small container of Apple Sauce (for Paige) and the other was a spoon to feed her with. "Thank's Fry!" Evelyn shouted as she tried to balance them on her plate. "No Problem," Frypan called before giving the other Gladers food.

"Hello, Greenies. Hey Leo," Newt greeted as them as Evelyn, Arden, Paige, and Leo sat down at the table. Minho looked up from his plate, bread crumbs falling from his mouth, " 'ey Gr'n- 'eans."

" _Jeez_ , Min, can you even taste that sandwich," Evelyn asked, her face twisted in disgust. Minho opened his mouth, most likely to make a sarcastic comment, when a loud roar filled the Glade. If Evelyn hadn't been sitting down, she would have fallen over. A hand was placed on top of hers and her panicked eyes fleeted up towards Newt's calm gaze.

The rumbling stopped, but Evelyn could still hear it ringing in her ears.

"What...the _hell_...was that...?"

"Those were the doors, you shank," Minho said, swallowing enough of his food to talk properly. "The doors..?" Evelyn questioned before it clicked, "Right, the doors to the Maze, keeps us in and the Grievers out. _Got it._ "

New smile sympathetically, "Sorry, love. I forgot that you were unconscious when the doors closed yesterday and you almost fell asleep again today when they opened." Evelyn took a few small bites of her sandwich before standing up, "I'll be right back. Leo, don't eat my sandwich"

" _Maldita Sea_ ," she heard him curse and placed her sandwich back on her plate as she walked away. She quickly made her way into the little bathroom that the Glader's had built and quickly did her business. She glanced up at the sink, expecting to see a piece of glass and found-

Nothing.

Not a mirror, not a piece of glass, nothing to indicate what she looked like. The only thing she knew she had was red hair. _Well,_ she thought, trying to be optimistic, _at least I don't have green hair._

For some reason, the thought didn't cheer her up much.

She pushed open the door, ready to go back to dinner when someone shoved her back in. She heard the door slam and dread fill her stomach. She didn't want to be raped, not today, not ever. She looked up at her attacker and her dread faded into annoyance.

Gally stood in front of her, his arms crossed and his brows raised.

Evelyn matched his stance, annoyance rolling off of her in waves. "Mind moving, Gally? I want to go back to my dinner before Leo eats it." He didn't move but anger flared in his gaze. Evelyn paused, peering at him, "Is this about me calling you out when I came up in the box? Because if it is, you _totally_ had it coming-"

"Shut up, Greenie," Gally snarled, "I usually wouldn't care about the newbies, but you're different. You're different because I saw you in the Changing." Evelyn flattered, _Gally's been through the Changing? But why? He's not a runner...is he?_

"I saw you," he continued, "and you're bad news. I don't care what Alby says, girlie. You're bad news and someday, real soon, these other guys will see that too." He turned and opened the door and glanced back over his shoulder at Evelyn.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Evelyn stood there for a moment, completely gobsmacked before throwing her hands up in the air. _"That was just a big waste of my time!"_ She scowled as she threw open the door and stomped back to dinner. Leo was feeding Paige, bouncing her lightly and making her giggle. _"Dulce, Pequeña Muñeca,"_ he mumbled as he bounced her, _"Preciosa Pequeña."_

Newt glanced up at her scowling face, "What's wrong, Love?" She sighed as she sat back down, her scowl falling into a defeated look, "Gally's just bein' a dick." Minho snorted, _"Of course he is._ What did that shank say? I'll kick his ass."

Leo frowned, "That's my boss you're talking about, _Hermano._ And a fellow Keeper." Evelyn's head snapped up, her mind was spinning, "Wait, I thought Minho was the Keeper of the Runners?"

Minho threw a bread crumb at her head, "You shank, I just told you that this morning!"

"But Gally said he went threw the Changing. Is he a Runner?"

Minho scoffed at Evelyn's question, "That shank? A R _unner?_ Girlie, have you been eatin' Frypan's saucy-sauce? I wouldn't make him a runner if he _begged._ As for going through the Changing bit-"

Minho leaned forwards against the table, his eyes darting over to Gally's table. Arden rolled her eyes at his dramatic reaction. "The only reason he went through the Changing is because he broke the rules and went outside the Glade. He was stung by the Griever in the process and had to go through the Changing. Soon as he came out of it, we locked him in the Slammer for three weeks. He broke one-if not the _most important_ -of our three rules. He's lucky we didn't _banish_ his ass..."

"Three rules," Arden questioned, "What are they?"

Newt and Minho glanced at each other before the former held up his hand to count them off. "One, always do your part. We don't have time for bloody slackers and free-loaders." He held up another finger, "Two, never harm another Glader. We've got a system goin' here and it doesn't work without trust.

He held up a third and final finger, "Three. Never _-ever-_ go out into the Maze. Not unless you're a Runner or the Runner have found a way out."

She opened her mouth to respond when a grinding noise filled the air. Her attention shifted around the Glade before finally coming to rest on the closest exit to the Maze. Her heart stopped when she realized that the sound was coming _from the Maze._

"Huh," she mumbled, "Forgot you said the walls change every night." Minho stared at her in disbelief before he shook his head, "My, you're _very_ forgetful today, Lyn. Did you trip and hit your head."

Evelyn hid her troubled emotions with a smirk, "Yeah, I trip over your ego on the way here and hit my head real bad. Might have to go see the Med-Jacks."

And, just like that, the light atmosphere returned. They continued joking and laughing, acting like nothing was wrong in the world.

But Evelyn never stopped thinking about Gally's words. They were all she thought about until she got ready for sleep.

"Something on your mind, Love," Newt questioned softly, "You've been really quiet since dinner." They both sat on top of their sleeping bags and were talking in hushed whispers. Curfew had passed thirty minutes ago, but Evelyn couldn't sleep so Newt offered to talk to her until she did.

"Just thinking about what Gally said. How he saw me in the Changing." She frowned and picked at her nails, she didn't want to assume the worst but his words circled in her head like a broken record.

_You're bad news and some day, real soon, these other guys will see that too._

Newt sighed and scooted closer to her, pulling his sleeping bag and pillow with him. "Love, that could mean anything. You too could have been friends before the Maze or even...b-boyfriend and girlfriend..."

His face screwed up in disgust as he said that.

Evelyn was sure hers did too.

"He said I was bad news, Newt," she looked at him with sad eyes and Newt felt his heart-break as he stared at her sad gaze. "What if I was a bad person? What if I still _am_ a bad person, Newt?"

"You're not," Newt reassured quietly and he gently placed his hand on top of hers. Butterflies erupted in both of their stomachs at the sudden contact. "How do you know," she mumbled, looking at their touching hands. Newt used his free hand and cupped her cheek, gently stroking the skin under her eye.

Their eyes locked and suddenly, everything Evelyn though she knew about Newt was changed.

His eyes weren't chocolate brown. They were the color of fresh gingerbread, causing her to think of the holidays and playing in the snow and _warmth_ and _home_ and _family._ They made her feel like she had just come in from a blizzard and was immediately dragged to the fireplace to warm up.

It like she was given hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket and the person offering was hugging her and giving her small kisses and promising everything would be _okay_. She felt complete inside, like she had found the final piece that she had been missing and was a _whole_ _person_ again, even though she never knew she was broken.

She didn't know how she saw that in Newt's eyes, but she loved every second of it.

Newt never really looked at her eyes, but when he did, he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Her eyes were cognac. He didn't know how he knew what that was but once he realized that's what the color of her eyes were, he found himself completely in love with it. He looked at her cognac eyes, and he was suddenly reminded of the fall. Autumn turning the leaves different colors and imagining them blowing in the wind, causing her hair to dance and swirl in the breeze.

He smiled faintly, the smell of her pumpkin spice shampoo drifting into his nose, causing his tense shoulders to relax. He felt like he had walked into the middle of the forest, surrounded by the feeling of _comfort_ and _peace_ and _love_. He felt like he had finished working hard in the gardens and immediately fell into the arms of a loved one, feeling the protecting and unconditionally loved as he was tucked away into their embrace.

For the first time since he arrived in the Maze, he didn't feel the need to fake a smile or put on a mask. He felt like he was _home_. _He felt at peace._

He smiled softly, still holding her hand and still cupping her face, "Call it intuition." Slowly he lowered them onto their sleeping bags, still refusing to let go of Evelyn's hand. Once they had finally settled, they were facing each other, Newt's hand still resting comfortably in her's. She closed her eyes and suddenly became very focused on Newt's breathing.

It was slow and steady and, for some reason, she immediately slowed her breathing to match his. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Evelyn felt sleep begin to take her. Tonight, unlike last night, she didn't try to fight it. Somehow, she knew she would sleep peacefully tonight. "Thanks, Newt," she mumbled before sleep claimed her.

Newt stared at the sleeping girl in front of him, a small, loving smile adorning his lips. Even though she was asleep, he didn't pull away. In fact, he pulled her closed to him. He gently put his arm over her waist and rested his other arm behind his head. He gently grabbed her hand again and stroke the top of it with his thumb.

After a few minutes in this position, Newt felt sleep beginning to claim him too. He opened his eyes after a moment and, after questioning the action and steeling his nerves, he placed a soft gentle kiss on her temple. "Goodnight, Love," he mumbled before slipping off to sleep.

In the morning, Evelyn didn't flinch awake and Newt didn't wake up with the feeling of the world being put on this shoulders. They woke up calm and at peace. Evelyn didn't say anything about the cuddling, but when she smiled and nodded her thanks to Newt, he knew it was worth it.

No one knew when had happened. No one knew why Newt's smiles were brighter (not even Minho, _his best mate!_ ) or why Evelyn was less hostile (because, let's be real, no one can read Evelyn that well, not even Arden), but when they saw the way that one grinned at the other, they had a pretty good guess.

**_ Sartén~Frypan _ **

**_ Maldita Sea~ Dammit _ **

**_ Dulce, Pequeña Muñeca~ Sweet, Little Baby Doll _ **

**_ Preciosa Pequeña~Precious Little One  
_ **

**_ Hermano~Brother _ **


	15. Chapter 11-Evelyn: Kiss Me Good Night

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige. ** _

**Warning: Swear words, and attempted rape, use of the word rape, and angst to compact the fluff I just wrote in the previous chapter, but there's still some fluff, so don't worry.**

**~~~Two Weeks Later~~~**

The bark from the tree dug into her back comfortably as she stared up at the blue sky.

Evelyn was on her break, enjoying some peace and quite the Deadheads provided. She could faintly hear the other Gladers talking in the background, laughing at one another as they took time to relax.

Her leg swung back and forth gently as she closed her eyes.

 _If we weren't trapped in a giant maze,_ she thought, _this wouldn't be so bad._

In the two weeks she had been there, it was oddly uneventful. Other than the usual catcall, dog-whistle (and Newt immediately telling them off and being oddly protective of Evelyn) nothing much had happened. She should have felt at ease with the situation, but it made her feel tenser, like something bad was going to happen, that she needed to hide....

Hence, why she was in the Deadheads.

The sound of someone walking through the underbrush pulled her out of her thoughts and she ducked behind a bundle of leaves, peering through them to see who was coming. Arden, the newly made Med-Jack, swatted away some of the low hanging branches, scowled as she looked around.

"Dammit, Evelyn," Arden cursed," Where the hell are you?" Evelyn smirked, an idea forming in her head and she quickly put it into action. She wrapped her legs around the branch she was sitting on and rolled her shoulders. _This is gonna be awesome_ , she thought.

She tilted to the side and rolled off the branch.

Arden turned around and yelped as she saw Evelyn's face in front of hers. "I'm right here, Ardy," Evelyn said, still smirking, "You don't have to scream." Arden opened her mouth to respond when Evelyn's smirk suddenly fell and she reached forward, putting a hand over her mouth. Arden went to pull away, but stopped and frowned when she saw Evelyn's serious expression. She used her free and to hold her index finger to her lips and then pointed to her ear.

 _Listen,_ she silently told her.

They both fell silent as the listened to the sounds of the Deadheads. They could hear the Beetle Blades moving through the trees, peering at them from the branches. The Glader's conversation drifted through the air, but by the time they reach them, it intelligible to them.

Arden gently pushed Evelyn's hand away, "Eve, I don't think-"

_SNAP_

Arden jumped and they both fell silent, listening for another sound. Soon enough, they heard it.

_SNAP SNAP_

Evelyn used his left hand to hook on the branch as she left moved her legs off of the branch. She swung down, shifting into a fighting stance in front of Arden. Her feet hit the ground silently.

_CRACK_

The footsteps came closer to them and Arden began to tremble, "E-Eve, I-"

Multiple twigs began to break and Evelyn finally realized that the person was running towards them. She grabbed Arden's arm, ready to run back to the Glade _(back to Newt)_ when their stalker finally appeared through the thickage.

It was David.

And he had a knife.

Evelyn quickly recognized it as a Slicer knife. It was one of the ones Winston had shown them when demonstrating how to gut a pig (you can imagine the displeasure they felt.) Arden squeezed Eveyln's shoulder, her nails digging into her skin.

"What do you want, David," Evelyn questioned, pushing Arden behind her. David sent them a chilling smile, his fingers running along the edge of the blade. "Well, you see, that's the thing, Evelyn. I want you," he pointed the knife at her before shifting it to Arden, "Or you. Or _both._ I'm not really picky."

Evelyn gritted her teeth and spat in disgust. _"Go fuck yourself."_ David's creepy smile grew, "I'd rather fuck one of you." Evelyn's hands curled into fists and Arden gently held her back. "C'mon, Eve," she mumbled, "Let's just go."

Unfortunately, David chose that time to strike.

He lunged forward, brandishing his knife in front of him. Evelyn pushed Arden out of the way and the knife plunged into her shoulder. Evelyn shouted in pain as the knife was removed and pressed her hand against the wound. Before David could stab Arden like he was planning to, Evelyn swapped his feet out from underneath him.

She stumbled to Arden, who looked at her in horror. "Ardy," Evelyn panted, "Get back to the Glade as fast as you can. Don't look back." Dave started to get to his feet and Arden looked at her in despair, "But-"

David let loose a battle cry and lunged again.

Evelyn grabbed his arms and held him back. **_"GO ARDEN GO!"_**

**_(A/N: GO DEAN GO!)_ **

Arden turned on her heel and ran to the Glade.

David glared at her before punching her in the mouth. Evelyn didn't care that David had hurt her, hell, he could kill her for all she cared.

 _Arden, please be safe,_ she mentally thought to the girl.

Evelyn stumbled back and David sneered, "You're going to pay for that, you _bitch."_ Evelyn spat the blood out of her mouth, "Should have thought of the consequences before you tried to rape me." David roared in anger and Evelyn turned around and started running towards the Glade.

As she drew closer to the exit of the Deadheads, she heard David get closer. **_"HEY!"_** She shouted as she closer to the Glade, **_"HEY!! HELP!"_** As soon as she broke through the trees, she saw the Gladers turn to her. David broke through the trees and she saw Arden bringing Minho and Newt out of Homestead.

She didn't have time to question why Minho was back early when David leaped at her and Evelyn fell to the ground with a _thud._ She could hear Gladers shout as they ran to help her and she felt deep gratitude for them. She didn't have much time to think about it before David plunged the knife in her other shoulder. She shouted in pain again as it was pulled out. "If I can't have you," he raised his knife to send the killing blow, "No one-"

The sound of a frypan hitting his head cut off his speech.

"Thank Fry," Evelyn wheezed her gratitude, putting pressure on one of her shoulders. "Yeah...yeah, no problem," He gasped, still holding his cast-iron skillet like a baseball bat. Evelyn felt some help her into the sitting position and she forced her way to her feet, ignoring the person who told her to sit back down. The room tilted and she stumbled, letting out a small noise of pain when she hit her shoulder.

"What the hell happened!!" Alby roared as he made his way through the crowd. They parted like the red sea, letting their leader through without question. Evelyn swayed, her shoulders were throbbing with pain and blood was leaking down her shirt.

She felt oddly sluggish and dazed. She furrowed her brows in confusion. _Why was she like this? She was just running through the Deadheads. Why was she tired?_ Voices spoke round her and she could have sworn she heard her name being called. She wanted to respond, to say anything, but her jaw was uncooperative. Her shoulders throbbed again. _Why did it hurt?_

"Oh," she mumbled and she looked up to the eyes of her leader, "Alby...?" He placed a hand on her shoulder (being mindful of the wound) and tried to steady her. "Evelyn," he asked, "What happened?" She blinked slowly, trying to get her jaw to work again, "I think... I think I've been stabbed..."

"She's in shock," she heard someone mumble and she felt weak in the knees. She fell backwards in a glorious heap, her head landing on someone's lap. Gingerbread eyes meet daze cognac eyes and Evelyn, even in her shocked state, couldn't help but send him a dazed smile.

Alby shouted orders above her, "Take this shank to the Slammer! Med-Jacks! Come help Evelyn! Once she comes out of it, we'll need to get the full story from her..." As soon as he said the word Med-Jack, something flickered in her brain. It was only for a second, but that was all she needed. "Arden!" She shouted as she sat up with a pained gasp, "Arden!"

"Shhh shh, hey Love, just relax, okay? Just relax," Newt tried to soothe her. She turned to him, still completely panicked, "No! No, you don't understand! I sent her ahead, he was gonna stab her! He wanted to rape her! She has to be safe, she has too!"

"Evelyn, I'm right here," Arden spoke softly, gently placing her hand on top of Evelyn's. Her panicked gaze met Arden's cool and collected on and she relaxed slightly, "You're okay? He didn't hurt you?" Arden gently stroked the top of Evelyn's hand, "I'm okay, he didn't get me, you saved me, Evelyn."

"Okay," Evelyn mumbled, suddenly feeling very exhausted, "Okay." She slumped against Newt, closing her eyes for a moment. They were very heavy. Muffled voices sounded around her and she was suddenly off the ground, being carried bridal style. One voice suddenly became clear and she recognized it as Newt's.

_"Eyes open, Love. You gotta open your eyes."_

She noticed other things, like how there was a limp in Newt's steep or how his heartbeat was right next to her ear. For some reason, it was very familiar and relaxing, distracting her from the pain in her shoulders. She opened her eyes slowly and found they were in one of the room that the Me-Jacks used for the wounded. _Why were they here?_

"Oh yeah," she mumbled, remembering again, "I got stabbed. That nice."

Med-Jacks flocked into the room and immediately began to gather medical supplies. Jeff grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting her shirt. Another Med-Jack-Clint-gently starting pushing Newt out of the room. "You need to leave," Clint said, pushing him back. "But-" Newt started, only to be cut off by Minho _(When did he get here?)_

"Newt, she'll be fine. But you need to leave to let the Med-Jacks work. Look at her, Newt. You need to let them work." Her vision was starting to clear up and she managed to slur out, "I'm fine." Jeff had finished cutting off her shirt and closed his eyes, covering her chest and stomach with her blood-stained shirt.

Newt sent one last hesitant glance at Evelyn before leaving the room, Minho closing the door behind him. Jeff grabbed the Hydrogen Peroxide and twisted the cap off, "This is gonna hurt, Evelyn" He didn't give her a chance to answer before he poured it onto the wounds. Any drowsiness that Evelyn had felt earlier was gone.

" _Son of a bitch_ ," she hissed, flinching at the burning from her wound, " _God_ , that hurts."

"Well, yeah," Jeff said, handing the Hydrogen Peroxide to Clint before stitching her shoulders back together. "I mean, you just got stabbed. It's not going to feel pleasant."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed, "You 're sassy today, ain't ya, Jeff."

He smiled good-naturedly, like he wasn't stitching here up after getting stabbed, "I'm sassy every day, Evelyn." He quickly tied off the stitches when another thought hit her. She sat up, ignoring Jeff telling her to lay back down. "Paige? Where's Paige," she questioned, already putting on her split shirt and getting ready to stand up.

"Greenie, sit back down," Jeff tried to reason with her. "No no no no, Paige! Where's Paige!" He gently pressed back onto the bed, "I'll tell you what, you stay here and I'll go look for Paige." Evelyn sighed, knowing that was the best compromise she was going to get, and she nodded.

Jeff wordlessly stood up and walked out the door. She could hear faint talking before a group of people walked in. Newt immediately took a seat beside her cot, grasping her hand firmly in his. Arden was tucked away under Minho's arms, tears trailing down her cheeks. Minho held her and stared at Evelyn with a stony expression.

The silence was awkward, so Evelyn decided to break it.

" _Heyyy_ ," she said over exaggeratedly, hoping to make someone smile.

Instead, Arden cried harder.

 _Oh my god, I'm such a sack of shit,_ Evelyn cursed herself.

"Hey hey, it's okay," she went to reassure her, "It's okay, I'm fine, he's in the slammer, he can't get you anymore, okay? I won't let him." Arden cried harder and Evelyn frowned in concern. She sat up, ignoring Newt who told her to lay back down. Arden had her full attention. "Arden, why are you crying?"

"Y-you got hurt, trying-trying to keep-p me s-safe. Why wou-would you d-do that-t?"

Evelyn blinked. She thought the answer was obvious.

"Because you're family."

The boys tensed and Arden wiped away her tears, "How can you call me family? We're probably not even related."

Evelyn frowned, "Arden, family doesn't end in blood, but it doesn't start there either. Family cares about you. Not what you can do for them. Family is there, for the good, the bad, and all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. _That's_ family." Evelyn's expression held a soft and caring look, "Arden, you're family, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

A few more tears slipped from Arden's eyes but she wiped them away, smiling waterly. Jeff opened the door again, Leo following behind him with Paige in his arms. Paige made a grabbing motion towards Arden and she wordlessly took her from Leo, holding her tightly to her chest.

A few more tears slipped from Arden's eyes but she wiped them away, smiling waterly. Jeff opened the door again, Leo following behind him with Paige in his arms. Paige made a grabbing motion towards Arden and she wordlessly took her from Leo, holding her tightly to her chest.

Evelyn smiled at Leo tiredly, "Thanks for looking after Paige, Leo." He smiled, albeit not as cheerfully, and nodded, "Of course, _Hermana_. I'll protect her with my life." He walked out silently and Evelyn finally noticed Newt's silence. She placed her hand on top of his, "Newt? What's wrong?" Newt said nothing and Arden suddenly stood up, pulling Minho with her, "We'll give you two some privacy." Before Evelyn could question it, Arden, Paige, and Minho left the room.

 _Well, that was... weird,_ Evelyn thought.

She turned her attention back to Newt, who was now pacing the room. "What's wrong? _What's wrong?_ You were just attacked by a boy with a knife who wanted to rape you and _you're_ asking _me_ if _I'm alright?!_ What if you didn't make it!? What if you didn't get to the Glade in time? What if we were too late?"

"But none of that happened," Evelyn said softly, "I made it, albeit _slightly_ injured, I made it to the Glade in time and no one was too late. I'm fine, I made it out, now we'll be prepared for next time-"

Newt took her hand into his, "But that's the thing, Love. I don't _want_ there to be a next time and I don't _want_ to just make it in time. I want to _be_ _there_. I want to be there with you all of the time. I want to _sit_ next to you and hold your hand and _work_ next to you and sleep _close_ to you without feeling like I'm overstepping your boundaries because you're _too_ important to me to _lose_ , to let _go_ of. I... I want to be a part of your life, and not just as friends. I...I want to _be_ with you."

Evelyn swallowed thickly. She won't deny that she had been catching feeling for Newt. Just thinking about his name either got her smiling like an idiot and as red as a damn tomato. It got even worse when she acknowledged them. She could hardly think about anything before her thoughts would drift over to Newt and she would feel her cheeks go red and butterflies in her stomach.

You can imagine how sharing a room with him went.

"Newt... w-what are you trying to say...?"

Gingerbread eyes met cognac eyes and seeing them gave Newt the courage to do what he did next.

He reached forward and tucked a piece of Evelyn’s hair behind her ear, smiling like a lovesick puppy.

Evelyn was taken aback by the action and her cognac eyes were wide as she stared at him.

And, with his hand still cupping her face, Newt closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Evelyn, who was not expecting the action, was frozen and had begun seeing Newt in a new light.

With his eyes being closed, Evelyn had the chance to cont all of his dark eyelashes. His golden hair brushed against the skin on her forehead and she couldn’t be bothered by it. She could see the faintest scar that was hidden by his hair. His lips were soft and warm against hers’s and his kiss wasn’t rough or hungry. It was gentle and sweet.

Just like him.

Whatever force that had kept her frozen before had dissolved into nothing and she relaxed into his hold, kissing back with the same gentle force he was kissing her with. Evelyn felt the corners of Newt’s lips curl up into a smile sometime during the kiss. 

Both of their minds were numb with bliss, so much so that neither of them noticed Alby standing in the doorway. He smiled at them, glad that Newt had found his happiness and that Evelyn had found someone she trusted so much that she loved them like she did Newt.

Alby turned on his heel and walked away silently.

He could get the story in the morning.

But for now, he would let them be.

Neither knew how long they were kissing the other, all they knew is that they eventually had to pull away for air. They pulled away, panting, their foreheads resting against each other's and they were grinning like the idiots they were.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, basking in each other’s presence.

“I don’t wanna go,” Newt whispered. His warm breath dancing across her face like fire across kerosene. Affection for this boy built up in her stomach and awe swelled in her chest.

“Then don’t,” she whispered to him. The Glade was quiet, apart from David’s occasional threats that escaped the walls of the Slammer. “Stay.”

“I will,” he agreed almost immediately, “I won’t leave you, not if I can help it.”

It took them a moment to get situated, but by the end, Evelyn was laying on her side and resting her head on Newt’s chest. Newt was laying on his back, one arm wrapped around Evelyn’s figure, which was tracing a circle on her forearm, and the other was under his head, being used as a pillow.

Evelyn smiled contently and, once again, found herself listening to Newt’s breathing. Just like the night they had cuddled two weeks ago, it was slow and steady. Evelyn changed her breathing to match his and they laid there, content and happy to be in each other’s company until Evelyn fell asleep.

**_ Hermana~Sister _ **


	16. Chapter 12-Arden: I Heard Your Voice Too

**_hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige._ **

**Warning: Very graphic night terror, if you do not like, skip all italicized parts at the beginning of the chapter. Like, seriously, it get's _very_ dark here, do not advise reading it.**

_The Deadheads were cold and dark._

_Later on, Arden questioned why she didn't notice that but all she could focus on was the temperature drop. She shivered, rubbing up and down her arms in an attempt to warm them up. Her breath became fog in the air, drifting upwards until she couldn't see it anymore._

_She glanced around the dark forest, unease about her surroundings._

_A twig snapped off to her left._

_Her head snapped in that direction, dread churning in the pit of her stomach when Evelyn broke through the trees. She was panting and her hair was a mess, her eyes held a wild and dazed look._

_She ran forward and gripped her shoulders tightly, "We have to go. We have to run." Arden's hands flew up and gripped Evelyn's wrist. Her behavior was making Arden scared. Evelyn was cool and collected in the face of danger, never scared, never wavering._

_Right now, Evelyn looked panicked._

_And that was_ **_terrifying_ ** _._

 _"Who's coming, Evelyn? Who's coming," Arden couldn't hide her panic. She wanted to shake and cry and scream at Evelyn to tell her what the hell was going on, why they were in the Deadheads, and why she was so panicked. Evelyn stared at her, panic and despair evident in her gaze._ _  
_

_"David," she whispered, "David is coming."_

_The Deadheads became filled with the ripping sound of flesh tearing, along with the sound of a bone being crushed. The strong smell of iron filled Arden's nose and two knives appeared in Evelyn's shoulders. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the knife tips protruding through her shoulders. Blood leaked down her shirt and she stared up at Arden with sad, painfilled eyes_

_"Why, Arden," she questioned softly, "Why didn't you help me?"_

_Arden didn't have time to respond when David suddenly appeared over Evelyn's shoulder, pulling the knives and Evelyn into the darkness of the Deadheads. Arden shouted, racing after them. The low-hanging branches from the trees cut at her arms and face, only slowing her slightly._

_Just when she thought she would never find Evelyn, she broke into a clearing._

_The sight nearly made her scream._

_Bodies were littered all over the ground, blood seeping from their wounds. To her horror, they were all people she knew. Paige laid on her side, blood leaking out from the slit marks on her wrist. Tear marks were on her cheeks as she laid unmoving on the ground._

**_I could have saved her_** _, Arden thought desperately._

_Minho was a few feet away from Paige. His Mocha colored eyes were unseeing as he stared at the sky. Blood bloomed from the spot over his heart. He couldn't have been saved. Pain attacked her as she stared at his blood and she would have collapsed in a heap next to him if it weren't for the next two bodies._

_Newt and Evelyn laid side-by-side, staring up at the sky. Newt was already dead, his throat had been slit by a knife and Evelyn was crying quietly next to him. "It's okay, my love," she whispered to herself, and whether she was trying to comfort herself or the corpse, Arden couldn't tell, "It's going to be okay."_

_Arden covered her mouth to quiet her sobs as Evelyn slowly bleed out in front of her. The ginger's gaze turned to Arden and she expected more accusations and questions, but all she got were three simple words._

_"Wake up, Arden."_

_The woods around her dissolved int nothing and she spun around, trying to find anything she could use to get out of this hellscape._

_"Arden!"_

_"Arden, wake up!"_

**_"ARDEN!"_ **

She bolted upwards with a gasp, panicked breathes leaving her mouth. Evelyn shuffled back resting on the balls of her feet as she squatted down in front of her. She held her arm out like she was trying to calm a wild animal. "Hey hey, Arden. It's okay, it's alright," she said soothingly.

Arden's panicked gaze landed on Minho, who laid on the other side of the room, and then Paige, who laid between them on a pile of blankets. Arden's breathing slowed down to a much more calm and steady pace when she looked back up at Evelyn. She stilled stayed at arm's length, eyeing her warily, "You good now? You were thrashin' around a lot earlier."

Arden nodded, "Yeah.. Yeah, I'm good," before she looked at her questioningly, "Why are you up, It's, like, two in the morning?" Evelyn's weary was replaced with a cheeky grin, "Just gettin' my leather jacket for the Gathering tomorrow and a new shirt. Old one was cut up by the Med-Jacks."

Looking at her clothes, Arden realized Evelyn was wearing the same thing she showed up in the Glade in. Her leather jacket was thrown over her simple, cotton blue shirt. Arden could see the end of the shirt sleeves that peaked out from the leather jacket. Her skinny jeans were tucked into her combat boot, which looked only slightly worn out. A necklace hung from her neck _(Arden wasn't sure where she found it)_ and Evelyn twisted it with her finger.

"I found it in the pocket of my jacket," Evelyne explained softly after catching her stares, "I don't know why, but it feels important to me, calms me down a little. I think that's the only reason that I'm wearing it."

Arden hummed and pulled her knees to her chest, staring at Minho's back as he slept. The steady rise and fall was the only thing that was comforting her at the moment. Evelyn continued messing with her necklace "So... how are you handling everything?"

The concern in Evelyn's voice surprised Arden, but then she remembered what Evelyn said earlier.

_"Arden, you're family, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."_

The thought made her feel warm on the inside.

"In all honesty," Arden began, crossing her legs, "I'm handling it better than I thought I would. Minho has been a great help when it comes to settling in. You and Newt are too." Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "Minho's been a great help, _hmm?_ " 

Arden blushed and played with her hands. She didn't want to talk about how Minho would stay up with her until she fell asleep, or how Minho always asked about her day, or how he always seemed to be able to tell when something was wrong with her, with Arden even needing to say it.

It was nice for someone to care about her like he did.

Arden glanced at Evelyn, who was still playing with her necklace, and frowned as a thought struck her. She didn't want to mention it to Evelyn, since she was still recovering from what had happened today, but she could stop thinking about it.

And, if she told anyone else, they might think she's crazy.

"Hey Evelyn?"

Her head jerked upwards, "Yeah?"

Instant regret filled her and she turned away, "Never mind."

Evelyn immediately reached forward and grabbed her hands, dragging Arden's attention back to her. "Nuh huh. _Nope_. No secrets. Arden, I don't know if you noticed, but we are the _only_ girls here. We have to stick together so that we can protect each other. Which means, no secrets."

Arden stared at her hesitantly, "I don't know..."

 _"Come on,"_ Evelyn whined, ignoring Arden's jab about sounding like a baby. "We can be like those stereotypical girls, the ones who gossip about all the cute boy in the Glade and the ones who're a bunch of _dicks_."

Arden snickered, causing Evelyn to smirk. " _Ah, see?_ You know you want to." Arden pushed her away gently, "Shut up," they both laughed quietly before Arden hesitantly continued, "It's actually... not about the other Gladers. It's about you."

Evelyn's smirk didn't fall but she tilled her head, an amused and questioning look on her face.

"Alright," she said simply, "Ask away."

 _I'm gonna regret this,_ Arden thought glumly.

"Have you... had any... weird dreams...?"

Evelyn's smirked dropped, "What?"

"Or..." Arden continued, "Thoughts in your head... that weren't your's...?"

The care-free and happy mood they had built earlier had crashed around them, replaced by a seriousness that was the mood _99.9%_ of the time in the Glade. Evelyn glanced at Minho's sleeping form and her voice dropped drastically, "Have you?"

Arden's silver-blue eyes never left Evelyn's cognac brown ones as she nodded.

Evelyn's licked her lips, "What are they? How often do they happen? When do you hear these voices?"

"You can't tell anyone," Arden whispered.

" _Who the_ hell _am I going to tell_ ," Evelyn hissed as she threw her hands up in the air. "Don't answer that," she grumbled as Arden opened her mouth, most likely to say something sarcastic. "Just answer the questions," she continued, "The first ones, not the last one."

Arden pursed her lips into a thin line, "It's was really blurry, but I was sitting with someone. We were holding hands and talking about something, I couldn't tell what. But," she paused and her gaze jumped towards the sleeping boy on the other side of the room.

Evelyn finished her thought, "He reminded you of Minho, didn't he?" She wordlessly nodded and they were both silent, Arden pondering over the dream and Evelyn preparing to ask more questions.

"And these... _thoughts_ , "Evelyn asked, having a hard time phrasing the question, "When was the last time you heard them?"

Arden bit her lip and met Evelyn's gaze, "When I was running through the Deadheads."

Evelyn's stony mask that she wore when she first came into the Glade came back at Arden's response. She unconsciously brushed a hand over her shoulder before she started messing with her necklace. "What did the voice say," she questioned in a monotone voice.

Arden's curled her hands into fists, her knuckles were white.

Evelyn's stony mask dropped to a concerned look, "Arden."

"It was _your_ voice, Evelyn. I heard _your_ voice begging me to be safe."

Evelyn pulled back, her face blank and her eyes expressionless.

They both ignored Arden's shaky hands.

No words were passed between them as Arden waited for Evelyn's response. Her mouth opened several times before closing, not able to find the right words to explain what she was thinking. Arden didn't ask what was running through Evelyn's mind, she was silently praying that it was something along the lines of 'you're just stressed and are hearing things.'

But, to her surprise and horror, Evelyn said something completely different.

_'I heard your voice too.'_


	17. Chapter 13-Arden: In My Head

**_hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige._ **

Arden's brain sputtered and died.

Evelyn placed her hands and her lap and stared at Arden in expectance, her brows raised slightly.

Arden couldn't find the words to explain what she was thinking, all she could think about were Evelyn's words.

_I heard your voice too._

It ran through her head like a broken record, playing on a loop.

And, to Arden's horror and disbelief, she realized Evelyn didn't move her lips.

"We're crazy," Arden thought finally, "O-or maybe not, I mean... I talked to you a lot today, you could have been mistaken. Or you could be mocking me. Are you mocking me, Eve?"

"Arden, I wouldn't do that to you. Not about this," Evelyn said gently.

All of Arden's arguments died on her lips. "What did you hear," she asked meekly.

"Your dream," Evelyn said simply.

Arden immediately shook her head, "I could have been talking in my sleep, you know? You must have thought you heard me-"

"Arden," Evelyn said softly

"Or maybe you had a bad dream and thought it was me talking in your head-"

" _Arden,_ " Evelyn said again, albeit more firmly.

"With everything that's happened today-or yesterday, if you want to be technical-was pretty traumatic for everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if-"

" _Arden_ ," Evelyn placed her hands on Ardeher shoulders, "I was wide awake when I heard you. The Glade's been quiet, except for when David shouts slurs at me from the Slammer, _he stopped about an hour ago_ , but I heard you. In. _My. Head._ You were crying for me, Minho, Newt, and Paige. You sounded-"

Her voice lost its stubborn edge and her shoulders fell. Her eyes held such a sad look it made Arden's heart ache at the sight. Her voice came out as a mere whisper.

_"You sounded so scared..."_

Arden's voice died at her words and panic began to set in once she realized what this meant for them. The Glader's were already on edge about them claiming how they had jacked up their system and how they were going to ruin everything they've ever know. If they found out, they would kill them.

They could never know.

"So what is this, Eve?" Arden questioned in a low voice. "We can both send telepathic messages to each other? We can talk to each other in our _freakin' heads? This isn't scientifically possible!"_

"Well," Evelyn replied with a shrug, "Neither is a Maze that can change at night or Gally smiling, but dammit Arden, we _live in a Maze that changes every night! And Gally smiled yesterday!_ Albeit, it was because one of the Sloppers tripped, but my point still stands."

Arden raked a hand through her hair, "So what? Then we're just _crazy_?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, they started to make a lot of sense.

 _We're crazy,_ Arden thought finally, _It's the only thing that makes sense. I'm crazy and she's crazy. We're both crazy. Or maybe we finally cracked. Today was the last straw and now we've cracked-_

Evelyn reached up and grabbed Arden's wrist, pulling her out of her spiral.

 _Arden,_ Evelyn said carefully, _We're not crazy. I can hear you. You can hear me. We're having a conversation right now. In our heads._

The fact that Evelyn proved they could talk telepathically made Arde want to cry.

"We can't tell the other Gladers," Arden said, blinking back tears. As much as she wanted to rant to Minho about what she was going through right now, she knew she couldn't. Not when she didn't even know what was going on herself.

Evelyn frowned and ran her fingers through her hair, "Ardy, I'm not too sure about-"

"Evelyn, the first day we got here, everyone eyed us like we were _sex toys_ , you were stabbed and someone tried to _rape_ you today, are you really willing to risk our safety because you can't keep this to yourself?"

Evelyn gritted her teeth and glared at Arden, "That's a low blow, Arden. You know that." Arden sighed, suddenly feeling defeated, "I know... I'm sorry..."

Evelyn didn't respond, choosing to glare at the wall.

"Congratulations on you and Newt, by the way. You two are a cute couple."

Evelyn covered her mouth to try and hide her smile.

"I'm guessing you knew?"

Arden hummed, "Kinda obvious to me. You two are always in better moods when around each other and If I just mention one of you to the other, they're a smiling and blushing mess. Kinda fun to watch, actually."

They went back to silence, Arden playing with her fingers and Evelyn staring at the wall.

"Okay," Evelyn finally huffed, "I won't say anything. This is your secret as much as mine. If you don't want to say anything, then I won't." Arden sighed in relief before Evelyn cut her off. "However, I _can't_ keep this from Newt. _I won't._ Not after what he told me last night, I can't do that to him. It's not fair. To me or him."

"Okay," Arden agreed immediately, her gaze shifting to Minho's back, "Okay." Evelyn followed her gaze before looking at her out of the corner of her eye, "And, for the record, I think you should tell Minho." Arden sighed, "He'll hate me, Eve-"

" _And_ I'm gonna stop you right there," Evelyn interrupted, "Arden, have you seen the way that boy looks at you? He looks at you like your the moon, the only time I've seen him calm and not cracking sarcastic comments is when he's with you. Sure, he flirts a little, but that's how he's making you laugh, isn't it? He's putting you at ease without even trying."

Evelyn laughed in disbelief before shaking her head, "There's no way in hell Minho could hate you, Ardy. Not with how he looks at you."

The panic that had been attacking Arden for the past few minutes fell away, feeling oddly content and happy with what Evelyn just said. "Okay," Arden said after taking a deep breath, "Okay, once everything settles down with all of... _this_... I'll tell him."

"Good that," Evelyn said, clapping her gently on the shoulder. Neither noticed ow Evelyn was using Glader slang. "Well, I better get going. Newt will probably wake up and have a heart attack if I'm not in bed. See you in the morning, Ardy."

Arden smiled and crawled back into her sleeping bag.

"Arden?"

"Yes, Eve?"

Evelyn hesitated in the doorframe of the room, "I know I'm not the most... _approachable_ person in the Glade... but talking about your nightmares help. It' like cleaning an infected wound. If you don't want to talk to me, then please talk to Minho."

Arden was taken aback by her concern for a moment before smiling, "Okay Evelyn, I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Ardy."

Evelyn left and Arden had no more dreams that night.


	18. Chapter 14 - Evelyn: Foreign Tongues

_**hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige.** _

Evelyn woke the next morning to Newt sitting on the stool beside her bed and running a hand through her hair.

“If this is how you plan to wake me every morning,” she mumbled, sitting up and stretching, “I think you’ll be stuck with me forever.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, love,” Newt said, chuckling before asking seriously, “How are you feeling? _Be honest._ ”

“Definitely sore,” Evelyn responded, wincing as she raised her arms above her head and sighs as her back gave a satisfying _POP._ She reached a hand up and pressed the bottom of her palm into her shoulder, “But the skin around my stitches feels tight. And itchy.”

“That means the stitches are working,” Jeff said as he walked through the doorway with Alby in tow, “And if you rip a stitch, I’ll sedate you until the next greenie comes.” Evelyn’s eyes widened and she pulled her hand away, “Noted.”

Jeff checked her stitches, maneuvering the collar of her shirt around so she would have to take it off, before moving away. “They seem fine,” he said, putting the leftover gauze away, “We should be able to take the stitches out after a week, at the earliest. I would suggest no extreme manual labor, most you can do is pick out the weeds in the garden.”

_Great,_ she thought with a scowl, _Haven’t even had my job for two days and then_ this _happens. I_ love _every second of this._

_Evelyn, you’re projecting,_ Arden said in her mind.

She flinched slightly because _fuck, that’s creepy_ and Newt eyes shone with concern. “You alright, love.” As soon as Newt spoke, Evelyn wanted to tell him everything, tell him about how she heard Arden’s voice in her head last night, and how she could _still_ hear her. 

But Jeff was in the room, and so was Alby.

“I’ll tell you later,” she whispered, grabbing his hand and dragging her thumb over his knuckles. Newt’s eyes became wide at the action, but he didn’t say anything, only smiled.

Alby cleared his throat from the doorway, “Jeff, could you give us a moment?”

It was clear from his tone that he wasn’t asking.

Jeff glanced up hesitantly from his work before sending Alby a small nod of confirmation and left the room.

Alby ran a hand over the nape of his neck before pulling up an extra stool and setting it near the end of her cot, “I… Shuck it, Greenie. I never thought I would have to have this conversation with anyone.” He sighed deeply, his walnut brown eyes meeting her cognac ones, “I’m going to need you to tell me everything,”

Evelyn smiled shakily and humorously, “I’m guessing you want all of the juicy details?”

She looked down at her hands before she saw Alby’s response. Her hands were playing with her necklace again. Evelyn had thrown it on impulsively the night before and wasn’t really looking at it when she was messing with it last night.

Now, all she _could_ do was look at it.

It was a simple gold chain and a gold pendant attached to it. The pendant itself wasn’t as simple as the chain it hung on. Two hands were imprinted into the metal, both of them interlocking pinkies with the other, like they were making a promise.

_Pinkie swears,_ Evelyn thought humorously.

Something else on the necklace caught her attention. There was a word imprinted under the hands. It took a second fr Evelyn to realize it was a word and to actually read it.

**_JERK_ **

She couldn’t explain why, but that word sent a wave of comfort through her core. It made her feel like she did when she was around Newt. Happy. Calm. Collected.

_Anchored_ , even.

She silently flipped the pendant over, only to be met with more mysteries.

**_TR & ES_ **

**_Tia Bransg Od Esiasch_ **

For some reason, the words written in the foreign language were really familiar to her, like the answer to what they meant was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t reach it.

The thought just made her feel more dejected than ever.

Newt mumbled a quiet question into her, asking her if she needed a minute to gather her thoughts.

Evelyn shook her head and raised her gaze to meet Alby’s and she told him everything. From how Arden was looking for her in the Deadheads, how David showed up with a knife, how he said he wanted both of them, how she sent Arden ahead of her to get help, and finally, how he chased her through the Deadheads until she reached the Glade.

Alby listened silently, never asking any questions and never interrupting her story. His facial expression doesn’t change, except for the flare of anger that appeared in his eyes when she told him about David saying how she was going to pay for that.

Once she finished her story, Alby sighed once again before standing up, “I’ll see you both at the Gathering,” was all he called before leaving the room.

Evelyn only hummed in response, blankly staring at the ground in front of her. Her mind felt like it was stuck in a loop, replaying David’s words and his actions over and over again, never giving her a break and never letting her leave.

_“Well, you see, that's the thing, Evelyn. I want you. Or you. Or_ both _. I'm not really picky.”_

_“I'd rather fuck one of you.”_

_“You're going to pay for that, you_ bitch _.”_

_“If I can't have you. No one-”_

“Evelyn? Love, _snap out of it.”_

Newt gently shook her shoulders to bring her out of her thoughts. She shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear it, before meeting Newt’s worried and concerned gaze. “Sorry,” she began, “I was just...lost in my head. Sorry.”

He stared at her, sympathy written all over his face before standing up, holding a hand out for her to take. “Come on, Love,” he said gently, “It’s time to get to the Gathering. We have to decide David’s punishment.”

Evelyn shivered at David’s name, but looking up at Newt’s reassuring gaze, she knew that she would be okay, as long as she was with him.

She placed her hand in his and together, they walked out of the room.

_**A/N: Okay, so you're probably wondering why I didn't provide a translation to the underlined words on Evelyn's necklace and that's because it'll be explained in a different chapter.** _

_**For the sake of the story, I ask you to please not look it up. I promise, it will be worth it.** _

_**** _


	19. 15 - Death Of A Slicer

The Gathering wasn’t very different than she originally thought it was.

When she thought of a Gathering, she thought of the boys gathered in a small, dark room that would be hidden underground, lit by candlelight as they began to discuss people’s inevitable doom.

_(She was a little disturbed about how it made her think of a cult)_

Although she was close, it was still very different.

The Gathering was held in a large room in Homestead that Evelyn had never seen before. Besides the chairs, which were formed in a half-circle around the chair in the middle, there was no other furniture except for a small table in the corner. The walls, just like the rest of Homestead, were made of wood, as was the floor, and it didn’t look like anyone had ever attempted to make the place look inviting.

“This place surely lacks a woman’s touch,” Evelyn snorted quietly.

Newt snickered.

Most of the Keepers were sitting in the chairs surrounding the chair in the middle and Evelyn was proud to say she recognized them from her trials. Starting at the very left was Zart, the Keeper of the Track-Hoes, which was her job.

Evelyn was excited when she first got the job, realizing she would be working next to Newt.

Sitting next to Zart was Frypan, Keeper of The Cooks. He smiled sympathetically at Evelyn, and she duly noted that the cask iron skillet he had used to save her yesterday was laying under his chair.

Next to Frypan was a kid with black hair and a freckled face that Evelyn recognized as Stan, Keeper of the Baggers. She never spent much time with the Baggers, given there was no one to bury, so she just had a free day.

Next to Stan was Winston, Keeper of the Slicers and Evelyn felt her stomach drop when she remembered that David had stabbed her with a knife from the Blood-Barn.

She didn’t look forward to telling Winston that one of the Slicers used one of their knives to harm her.

Next to Winston were two empty chairs-ones her and Newt would be sitting in-and Alby sat in the chair that was in the center of the arch. He nodded his head in acknowledgment at Evelyn and Newt.

It reassured Evelyn in an odd way.

There were a few other Keepers missing _(most likely removing David from the Slammer)_ but there were a few other people she recognized: Minho and Arden. They wordlessly sent her a nod, Arden's face clearly holding the relief and she made no move to hide it. Minho, on the other hand, was wearing a stone mask, neither his face nor his eyes betraying how he felt.

And Evelyn almost believed that he didn't care about the situation one bit. But Evelyn was an observant person, and that meant she saw how Minho's hands were shaking ever so slightly. Both of their eyes met and Evelyn raised a brow, her cognac eyes revealing that she knew he was trying to bullshit her.

The moment Minho realized that, his mask crumbled for a moment but that was all the time Evelyn needed to see the emotions he was desperately trying to hide: fear, frustration, anger, disappointment, and to Evelyn's great surprise, concern and relief.

Evelyn tips turned up into the smallest, barely noticeable, smiled. She had been suspecting for a while now that Minho's sarcastic, apathetic attitude was due to his time in the Maze. She had learned over the past two weeks, that everyone in the Glade had a way of coping with the situation they were in. Gally became mean and tough, Frypan would smile sadly and withdrawal into himself, Alby became more silent and moody, Arden would hold Paige a little tighter, Newt's smile dimmed slightly _(oh, how she felt so fucking guilty about that)_ and Minho would put on his stone mask, hiding how he felt about the situation and that he was still a kid.

_He was still a kid._

So was Alby and Newt and Leo and Jeff and Clint and Frypan and Arden and Paige-

Paige was just a _fucking baby._

She tightened her fists and clenched her jaw, fully ready to start swearing up a storm when she finally caught her friends’ expressions. Their eyes were on her, full of concern and their faces tight with worry. The bags under their eyes quickly showed her that none of them had slept fitfully last night. Her anger evaporated at their looks and her fists went lax.

_I can't do this...not to them..._

So, instead of swearing like she had planned to do earlier, she banished her angry thoughts and smiled tightly at Minho before sitting next to Newt, who had taken a seat next to Alby.

“How are you doing,” Arden questioned immediately, bouncing Paige lightly in her lap. Evelyn shrugged, “Sore, if anything. In all honesty, yesterday just seems really surreal, almost like it-”

“-didn't happen?”

Evelyn and Arden fell silent as Minho joined the conversation, Newt not far behind him. “That's because you came down from a massive adrenaline rush. You came down from too much adrenaline too quickly. The shock _probably_ didn't help either.”

His expression was neutral, not the stony mask he was wearing earlier but no actual emotion crossing his face. Newt frowned and wrapped an arm around Evelyn's shoulder, pulling her towards him. Evelyn, being taken by surprise, jumped slightly at the sudden movement, which resulted in Evelyn sitting halfway on Newt's lap.

Arden smirked at the gesture and Minho grinned mischievously at Newt.

Both Newt and Evelyn blushed at their looks.

“You know,” Evelyn began as she looked around the room. None of the other Keepers were looking at them, though Alby had the slightest smirk on his face. Evelyn had a sneaking suspicion that he knew something that he shouldn't. “The other Glader's might not approve. About you and me being.... whatever we are....”

“And what do you want us to be, love?” There was only a slight pause before he asked, but Evelyn heard it all the same. She heard the emotions that had hired in the little pause; the self-doubt, the fear, the sadness, the expectance that she was going to confirm his darkest fears when it came to the two of them.

It physically pained her to see that expression on his face.

So Evelyn pulled away from his embrace, but turned so her legs were draped over his lap. She raised her hands to cup his cheeks, feeling the warmth of his blush under her fingers. His eyes were wide and it was clear she had captured his whole attention. She let her emotions bleed through her eyes, letting him see the complete love and adoration in her eyes as she looked at him.

She wanted him to know how serious she was taking him.

Minho and Arden, tore their attention away from the two secret _(?)_ lovers, allowing them some privacy.

“Newt,” Evelyn said softly, and their hearts sped up in sync, “I want us to be-”

**_BANG!!_ **

The door flew open and Newt and Evelyn pulled away, staring at the figures in the doorway. David stood front and center, Gally and Francis holding his arms behind his back. David's eye was swollen and bruised to hell. There were scrapes and more bruises covering his arms and Evelyn knew it was safe to say not all of them were from yesterday. Two of the Baggers stood behind the Keepers, two spears ready to pierce through David's back.

_Jesus Christ, these guys don't fuck around!_

_Evelyn. Projecting._

_Right. Sorry._

David's one good eye glared at the other Keepers in the Gathering Room, the scowl on his lips clearly stating how much he hated every single person in that room. His eye landed on Evelyn and his entire attitude changed. His scowl shifted in a cocky smirk _(oh how Evelyn wanted to break his teeth)_ and his eyes filled with lust.

_“Hey Lyn,”_ he purred.

Newt's arms tightened around her.

Alby stood and crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl etched onto his face, “What the _shuck_ took you so _long_?!”

Francis' grip on David tightened and he spoke with a Canadian accent. “This sack of shit tried to run as soon as we opened the slammer. Baggers had to hold him down, so he didn't get too far, eh.”

Alby glared at David, who returned it shamelessly, before jabbing a finger over his shoulder, “Put him in the chair.” With further instruction, Gally and Francis shove David forward and threw him into the chair. It tipped and creaked under his weight, before falling back onto the floor, silent once again.

Anytime David would look at the Keepers, he would send them hate-filled looks, which all the Keeper's gladly returned. But when his eyes landed on Evelyn or Arden, they showed that his lust and urges for them had not yet left after spending a night in the slammer.

David licked his lips, eyes them up and down.

Arden shivered in the chair next to her.

Evelyn glared and clenched her fists.

Neither of the girls noticed how Newt and Minho glared at the boy.

“I declare this Gathering begun!” Alby shouted. Everyone fell silent and turned their attention to him. Alby held himself to his full height _(as much as he could sitting down)_ and started stating the basic facts of the case. Evelyn had a feeling that Alby did this at every Gathering.

“We are gathered here today in regards to this shank, David, who attacked a fellow Glader, Evelyn.” Somehow, Alby's stare became much more lethal, “He also attempted to sexually assault two of our fellow Gladers, Arden and Evelyn, and had it not been for Evelyn sacrificing her own safety so Arden could get help, he might have succeeded.”

After finishing his small introduction, Alby finally addressed David, “You will not speak unless spoken to. Do I make myself clear?”

David scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, whatever.”

If anyone had any sympathy for the bastard, it vanished into the wind.

“Evelyn,” Alby stated loudly, “Why don't you explain what happened.”

Everyone's eyes turned to her and she had to resist the urge to squirm in her seat.

She felt Newt's hand squeezing her own, offering silent support and comfort.

So, with renewed courage, Evelyn explained everything.

From how Arden was looking for her in the Deadheads, how David showed up with a knife, how he said he wanted both of them, how she sent Arden ahead of her to get help, and finally, how he chased her through the Deadheads until she reached the Glade.

It didn't take long, only five minutes to explain everything to the council, but everything changed in that small time span of five minutes.

David was grinning, sitting on the edge of his seat like he was getting ready to pounce on Evelyn again, eager to get another chance.

Newt's grip tightened on her hand, and she gently stroked her thumb over his knuckles. They slowly went lax.

All of the other Keepers _(even Gally!)_ were glaring at David, making it very clear they would have no mercy when it came to his punishment.

“Considering,” Alby began, “The eyewitnesses, the evidence, and Evelyn's testimony, there's not really much that needs to be done. Except deciding his punishment. Zart, you start.”

“Banishment,” Zart spoke without hesitation.

David's grin dropped, “What-”

“Frypan,” Alby asked.

“Banishment.”

David grew pale, “Wait-”

“Another word and you're out of the Gathering,” Alby snarled, “Stan?”

“Banishment.”

David’s expression only hosted more and more fear as the Keepers continue to voted for banishment. As the gathering continued Evelyn glanced over at Aren, who had a stoic look on her face. But despite the fact she was hiding her emotions, Evelyn could tell she felt bad and wanted to give this boy a second chance. But once her gaze landed on Evelyn and saw that all of the boys were not swaying with their word, she stayed quiet.

“Evelyn? Arden? Do you agree with the punishment?”

Evelyn was hesitant to speak. Not because she didn’t agree with the punishment _(she agreed to it with every_ **_fiber_ ** _of her being)_ , but because Arden didn’t. She knew Arden wanted to give people second chances, to hug everyone and smile and tell them it's okay and that she forgives them. It made her seem like she didn’t have a backbone.

Evelyn… Evelyn wasn’t like that…

She didn’t believe in second chances. She knew that David knew the rules _(they drill it into the greenies’ heads when they come up)_ and he knew not to hurt another Glader. He heard what Newt had said the second she, Arden, and Paige were out of the box _(of course he heard, he was right_ **_fucking_ ** _there!)_ and he knew what the consequences were for breaking those rules.

And… he did it anyways…

He stole a knife from the blood house. He stalked the girls through the woods like they were his prey. He had stabbed Evelyn through the shoulder _(Twice)_ and chased her through the Deadheads, breaking a rule that should have been common sense but wasn’t for him.

Arden may have been able to forgive that, but Evelyn couldn’t.

So while Arden was hesitant to speak, Evelyn had no problems sending this _bastard_ back to hell.

Because Evelyn refused to allow David to roam the Glade any longer. She refused to let him silently torment her with the looks that seemed to tear her apart from the inside out. She refused to let him walk around after what he did. To let him walk around freely without punishment. She refused to show weakness. She refused to show no backbone by letting him walk out of that room in anything but chains. 

Because Evelyn… Evelyn had a backbone.

And she wasn’t going to let anyone think otherwise.

“Lov-?”

“I agree,” she said quickly, snapping her head away from Arden, doing her best to ignore that hurt expression that covered her friend's face. Before anyone could comment on it, the hurt look melted away into an apathetic mask, hiding any and all emotion that she was feeling. “Arden? Do you agree,” Alby questioned and Arden nodded not looking anyone in the eye as she quietly bounced Paige.

_Oh, Ardy..._

“Then it’s settled,” Alby delcared, his loud voice echoing in the small room. “David of the Slicers, you will be banished today at sundown. May the Greivers have mercy on your soul.”

Chills travel up Evelyn spine at his last words.

David had his head bowed, chin tucked to his chest so none of the Keepers could see his face. “If I’m going to hell,” his face slowly pulled up, his eyes full of enough rage to drive the most humble man crazy, _“Then I’m taking them with me!”_

Suddenly, his bonds snapped and a knife was now visible in his hand. Keepers shouted in alarm, the Baggers rushing forward only to be blocked by the bodies of the Keepers. David stared at them all in rage, everything becoming so _loud_ and _fast_ and _slow down please slow down stop **please-!**_

And suddenly, her wish was granted. 

Everything had slowlled down, the only sound evident was her own breathing and the bounding of her own heart in her ears. She looked around the room, everything was slow, the Keepers falling back, the Baggers trying to push through them, even the candle light flickering around the room seemed slower. She glanced towards David, wondering if this affected him as well.

The was a loud and painful _SNAP_ and the knife flew across the room, embedding itself in the wall mere inches Winston’s ear.

David’s scream filled homestead as he cried out, “MY WRIST!! SHE BROKE WRIST!!” In one last desperate attempt to fulfill his plan, he lunged forward will renewed vigor, ready to end one of the girls ’ lived.

“Evelyn! Catch!”

Without turning to see what it was, Evelyn caught the object Frypan threw to her and swung as hard as she could towards David’s injured wrist. David’s scream reached a whole new octave before his knees gave out from underneath him and he finally passed out from the pain.

It only took everyone a few moments to snap out of their shock. The Baggers rushed pasted the Keepers, grabbing David by the arms and dragging him out of the room. They didn’t need to be told where to put him. The Keepers broke up into small groups; some stood by the doorway watching David get dragged off, some stood by the knife in the wall _(Winston kept repeating ‘It almost hit my face!)_ and the select few that came over to see Evelyn, Arden and Paige; that group being Newt, Minho, Alby, and Frypan.

“Are you okay,” Minho immediately fawned over Arden, cupping her face and pushing back her hair to see if a cut was going to magically appear on her. Evelyn wanted to make some snark comment about ‘oh ignore the person who just round housed that mother fucker’, but one look at Minho’s genuine concerned expression and Arden looking like he was her sole reason for getting up in the morning, she stayed quiet.

Newt gently yet firmly pulled her into his embrace, unknowingly soothing her as he started swaying side to side. The tension seemed to melt out of her shoulders as he continued swaying and gently brushing the hair out of her face. She saw Alby whisper something in Minho’s ear before leaving the Gathering room.

“Come on,” New whispered to Evelyn, “Let's go.” Evelyn wordlessly picked Paige out of Arden’s arms and when sent a confused look, she jabbed her head in Minho’s direction, _Talk to him._

Minho kept clenching and unclenching his jaw, quietly tapping his foot anxiously on the ground. His hands kept twitching, like he wanted to run them through his hair until he pulled it out.

“Minho,” Arden asked in concern, “Are you okay?”

Satisfied she got the ball rolling, Evelyn placed her hand in Newt’s and they left.


	20. 16 - Arden: What A Keeper

_** hey guys, all rights go to James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner. I don't own any of the characters other than Arden, Evelyn, Leo, and Paige. ** _

**A/N: Use of the word rape, some shouting, shouldn't be too bad. Enjoy!**

So maybe asking Minho if he was okay wasn't the _best_ idea...

In Arden's defense, her brain was completely fried. From the nightmare last night to the Gathering and almost being attacked and killed by someone who attempted to kill and rape her friend, she could practically _feel_ her brain cells dying.

Minho, on the other hand, took her statement in the worst way possible

"Am _I_ alright," he laughed in disbelief and looked seconds away from either screaming in rage or falling apart, "You were _attacked_ yesterday, you could have been _raped_ by that good-for-nothing _shuck_ -for-brains, you were almost attacked _again_ today, and David would have _killed_ you had it not been for Evelyn, and _you're_ asking me if _I'm_ alright? _"_

Arden stared at him in hesitance. She had no clue how to defuse the situation and she was sure anything that she could say would make it worse. But Minho was shaking, his hands vibrating from the stress of the situation, she had to do _something. Anything!_

"But I wasn't," she exclaimed and all thoughts of calming Minho down just flew out the window., "I wasn't hurt, I wasn't raped, and I wasn't killed! So why does the rest matter if nothing happened to me?"

"But you _could've_ ," Moinho shouted back at her, "You could have been! You could have been hurt, raped, or even killed! Why don't you understand that!"

Her hands were clenched at her side and she could hardly hear him over the rush of blood in her ears. They had both stepped closer towards each other in the midst of their argument and there was hardly a foot between them. _Does he have_ any _faith in me,_ she wondered, _Or does he think I'm just some damsel in distress._

"And what the hell does it matter to you anyway!" She shouted, "Why the hell do you even _care_!! I've only been here for two and a half weeks! You hardly even know me so why the shuck-!"

In one fluid motion, Minho grabbed her biceps and shook her. Arden's voice died in her throat and she stared at Minho with wide eyes.

 _"Because I can't lose you!"_ Minho shouted, his eyes filled with raw emotion. His shoulders sagged under an invisible weight, "I can't... I can't _lose_ you, Arden... I just can't..."

His breathing was ragged and Arden was _extremely aware_ of how close they were. His shaky exhales warmed her face and the grip he had on her slowly went lax. The tension that was previously in the room seemed to fade slightly, but it seemed to mirage to her stomach, twisting into a knot that settled itself in the bottom of her stomach. She swallowed thickly and her eyes skimmed over his face before returning back to his mocha eyes.

"Why," she asked softly, "Why can't you lose me?"

Minho continued to stare at her, his eyes seemingly piercing her soul. Emotions that Arden couldn't even begin to identify swimming in his mocha pool, the only one she could identify was conflict.

His eyes shifted down towards her lips before they made their way back up to her silver-blue eyes. He licked his lips and exhaled shakily, the grip on her arm going lax and his hands drifted down towards her waist.

"Min-"

 _"Shh,"_ he whispered, "Don't say anything."

Her words immediately died on her lips. She didn't know when it had happened, but she's put her entire trust in Minho, she was completely wrapped around his finger. He could tell her almost anything and she would believe him.

Minho rested his forehead against hers and he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the Glade, the world, the _universe._ Like she was the most amazing thing that has ever come into existence and that ever will come into existence.

"I _do_ care about you," Minho whispered, "I don't know why I care about you this much, but I do. It doesn't even feel like I've known you for two weeks, it feels like a lifetime. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep. I don't know if it was too fast or too sudden, but when I saw David trying to attack you today, it just... I almost lost you today and... I can't lose Arden because... because I love you Arden."

Arden was quiet and Minho sighed, pulling away, "It's okay if you don't feel the same, I'm just-"

Arden grabbed the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips against his. Butterflies exploded in her chest and heat coiled in her stomach. Her mind was numb with bliss and her hands came up just barely touching his jaw.

Minho grunted in surprise at Arden's sudden burst of affection. He stared at her with wide, surprised eyes before they drifted close. He melted into the kiss and his hands went back to gently holding her hips. Arden's hand drifted up and tangled itself into his dark, soft hair.

Her endearment and infatuation for Minho flooded through her veins like poison. It was strong, heart-stopping and she would happily let kill her if that meant she could stay with Minho. Her blood was hot and her skin boiled at his touch. Her knees went weak and Minho's grip on her waist tightened to keep her from falling.

The need for air came quicker than they wanted and they pulled away with reluctance. Their foreheads rested together and they stared into each other's eyes breathlessly. Neither knew how long they stayed there and, quite frankly, neither one cared.

Arden felt herself getting sucked into his mocha pools, and she was suddenly hit with how much Minho meant to her. How he would reassure her if she had a nightmare, how he would crack dumb jokes to help her relax after a long day, and how he would always tell her before running into the maze that, _"I'll find a way out Arden. I promise."_

She didn't know when and she didn't know how, but she fell for Minho.

And she fell _hard._

"I love you too," she whispered.

He stared at her in disbelief before grinning softly, swooping in and stealing another kiss. She giggled merrily and returned the kiss. She fit against Minho like a puzzle piece, their hands knowing what to do and where to go. They pulled away and were grinning like the love-sick idiots that they were.

Maybe they fell a little too hard, or a little too fast, but to them, it didn't matter.

It didn't matter if the world was against them. They had each other.

Arden knew they would be fine.


End file.
